diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ql/index/IndexResolver.java b/x-pack/plugin/ql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ql/index/IndexResolver.java
index b5f3e38f23688..5d003dd80bf08 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ql/index/IndexResolver.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ql/index/IndexResolver.java
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ public void resolveAsMergedMapping(String indexWildcard, String javaRegex, boole
     public static IndexResolution mergedMappings(DataTypeRegistry typeRegistry, String indexPattern, String[] indexNames,
             Map<String, Map<String, FieldCapabilities>> fieldCaps) {
 
-        if (fieldCaps == null || fieldCaps.isEmpty()) {
+        if (indexNames.length == 0) {
             return IndexResolution.notFound(indexPattern);
         }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/ErrorsTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/ErrorsTestCase.java
index c5ae7f63ad06d..68ae50a429927 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/ErrorsTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/ErrorsTestCase.java
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@
 public interface ErrorsTestCase {
     void testSelectInvalidSql() throws Exception;
     void testSelectFromMissingIndex() throws Exception;
-    void testSelectFromIndexWithoutTypes() throws Exception;
+    void testSelectColumnFromMissingIndex() throws Exception;
+    void testSelectFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception;
+    void testSelectColumnFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception;
     void testSelectMissingField() throws Exception;
     void testSelectMissingFunction() throws Exception;
     void testSelectProjectScoreInAggContext() throws Exception;
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/cli/ErrorsTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/cli/ErrorsTestCase.java
index 2bef0cd60ae16..6e2ebc87dbe94 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/cli/ErrorsTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/cli/ErrorsTestCase.java
@@ -37,15 +37,30 @@ public void testSelectFromMissingIndex() throws IOException {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void testSelectFromIndexWithoutTypes() throws Exception {
+    public void testSelectColumnFromMissingIndex() throws Exception {
+        assertFoundOneProblem(command("SELECT abc FROM test"));
+        assertEquals("line 1:17: Unknown index [test]" + END, readLine());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
         // Create an index without any types
         Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
         request.setJsonEntity("{}");
         client().performRequest(request);
 
         assertFoundOneProblem(command("SELECT * FROM test"));
-        //assertEquals("line 1:15: [test] doesn't have any types so it is incompatible with sql" + END, readLine());
-        assertEquals("line 1:15: Unknown index [test]" + END, readLine());
+        assertEquals("line 1:8: Cannot determine columns for [*]" + END, readLine());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectColumnFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
+        Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
+        request.setJsonEntity("{}");
+        client().performRequest(request);
+        
+        assertFoundOneProblem(command("SELECT abc FROM test"));
+        assertEquals("line 1:8: Unknown column [abc]" + END, readLine());
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/jdbc/ErrorsTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/jdbc/ErrorsTestCase.java
index 87de389e9be01..9f7eca0c90aeb 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/jdbc/ErrorsTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/jdbc/ErrorsTestCase.java
@@ -33,7 +33,15 @@ public void testSelectFromMissingIndex() throws SQLException {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void testSelectFromIndexWithoutTypes() throws Exception {
+    public void testSelectColumnFromMissingIndex() throws Exception {
+        try (Connection c = esJdbc()) {
+            SQLException e = expectThrows(SQLException.class, () -> c.prepareStatement("SELECT abc FROM test").executeQuery());
+            assertEquals("Found 1 problem\nline 1:17: Unknown index [test]", e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
         // Create an index without any types
         Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
         request.setJsonEntity("{}");
@@ -41,9 +49,19 @@ public void testSelectFromIndexWithoutTypes() throws Exception {
 
         try (Connection c = esJdbc()) {
             SQLException e = expectThrows(SQLException.class, () -> c.prepareStatement("SELECT * FROM test").executeQuery());
-            // see https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/34719
-            //assertEquals("Found 1 problem\nline 1:15: [test] doesn't have any types so it is incompatible with sql", e.getMessage());
-            assertEquals("Found 1 problem\nline 1:15: Unknown index [test]", e.getMessage());
+            assertEquals("Found 1 problem\nline 1:8: Cannot determine columns for [*]", e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectColumnFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
+        Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
+        request.setJsonEntity("{}");
+        client().performRequest(request);
+
+        try (Connection c = esJdbc()) {
+            SQLException e = expectThrows(SQLException.class, () -> c.prepareStatement("SELECT abc FROM test").executeQuery());
+            assertEquals("Found 1 problem\nline 1:8: Unknown column [abc]", e.getMessage());
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/rest/RestSqlTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/rest/RestSqlTestCase.java
index f4cc628779c41..2fd19d998d1bf 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/rest/RestSqlTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/sql/qa/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/sql/qa/rest/RestSqlTestCase.java
@@ -317,16 +317,28 @@ public void testSelectFromMissingIndex() {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void testSelectFromIndexWithoutTypes() throws Exception {
+    public void testSelectColumnFromMissingIndex() throws Exception {
+        String mode = randomFrom("jdbc", "plain");
+        expectBadRequest(() -> runSql(mode, "SELECT abc FROM missing"), containsString("1:17: Unknown index [missing]"));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
         // Create an index without any types
         Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
         request.setJsonEntity("{}");
         client().performRequest(request);
         String mode = randomFrom("jdbc", "plain");
-        expectBadRequest(() -> runSql(mode, "SELECT * FROM test"),
-                // see https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/34719
-            //containsString("1:15: [test] doesn't have any types so it is incompatible with sql"));
-            containsString("1:15: Unknown index [test]"));
+        expectBadRequest(() -> runSql(mode, "SELECT * FROM test"), containsString("1:8: Cannot determine columns for [*]"));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void testSelectColumnFromEmptyIndex() throws Exception {
+        Request request = new Request("PUT", "/test");
+        request.setJsonEntity("{}");
+        client().performRequest(request);
+        String mode = randomFrom("jdbc", "plain");
+        expectBadRequest(() -> runSql(mode, "SELECT abc FROM test"), containsString("1:8: Unknown column [abc]"));
     }
 
     @Override