diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/translator/LangExpressionToPlanTranslator.java b/asterixdb/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/translator/LangExpressionToPlanTranslator.java
index b8bfffd..c6c8a2f 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/translator/LangExpressionToPlanTranslator.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/translator/LangExpressionToPlanTranslator.java
@@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@
         if (oc.getRangeMap() != null) {
             Iterator<OrderModifier> orderModifIter = oc.getModifierList().iterator();
             boolean ascending = orderModifIter.next() == OrderModifier.ASC;
-            RangeMapBuilder.verifyRangeOrder(oc.getRangeMap(), ascending);
+            RangeMapBuilder.verifyRangeOrder(oc.getRangeMap(), ascending, sourceLoc);
             ord.getAnnotations().put(OperatorAnnotations.USE_STATIC_RANGE, oc.getRangeMap());
         }
         return new Pair<>(ord, null);
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-lang-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/lang/common/util/RangeMapBuilder.java b/asterixdb/asterix-lang-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/lang/common/util/RangeMapBuilder.java
index c505c1c..a26c94d 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-lang-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/lang/common/util/RangeMapBuilder.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-lang-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/lang/common/util/RangeMapBuilder.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.RuntimeDataException;
 import org.apache.asterix.formats.nontagged.BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.asterix.formats.nontagged.SerializerDeserializerProvider;
 import org.apache.asterix.lang.common.base.Expression;
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.IBinaryComparatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ISerializerDeserializer;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.SourceLocation;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.partition.range.RangeMap;
 
@@ -145,19 +147,25 @@
         }
     }
 
-    public static void verifyRangeOrder(RangeMap rangeMap, boolean ascending) throws CompilationException {
+    public static void verifyRangeOrder(RangeMap rangeMap, boolean ascending, SourceLocation sourceLoc)
+            throws CompilationException {
         // TODO Add support for composite fields.
         int fieldIndex = 0;
         int fieldType = rangeMap.getTag(0, 0);
         BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider comparatorFactory = BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider.INSTANCE;
-        IBinaryComparatorFactory bcf =
-                comparatorFactory.getBinaryComparatorFactory(ATypeTag.VALUE_TYPE_MAPPING[fieldType], ascending);
+        IBinaryComparatorFactory bcf;
+        try {
+            bcf = comparatorFactory.getBinaryComparatorFactory(ATypeTag.VALUE_TYPE_MAPPING[fieldType], ascending);
+        } catch (RuntimeDataException e) {
+            throw new CompilationException(ErrorCode.COMPILATION_ERROR, sourceLoc, e.getMessage());
+        }
         IBinaryComparator comparator = bcf.createBinaryComparator();
         int c = 0;
         for (int split = 1; split < rangeMap.getSplitCount(); ++split) {
             if (fieldType != rangeMap.getTag(fieldIndex, split)) {
-                throw new CompilationException("Range field contains more than a single type of items (" + fieldType
-                        + " and " + rangeMap.getTag(fieldIndex, split) + ").");
+                throw new CompilationException(ErrorCode.COMPILATION_ERROR, sourceLoc,
+                        "Range field contains more than a single type of items (" + fieldType + " and "
+                                + rangeMap.getTag(fieldIndex, split) + ").");
             }
             int previousSplit = split - 1;
             try {
@@ -165,10 +173,11 @@
                         rangeMap.getLength(fieldIndex, previousSplit), rangeMap.getByteArray(),
                         rangeMap.getStartOffset(fieldIndex, split), rangeMap.getLength(fieldIndex, split));
             } catch (HyracksDataException e) {
-                throw new CompilationException(e);
+                throw new CompilationException(ErrorCode.COMPILATION_ERROR, sourceLoc, e.getMessage());
             }
             if (c >= 0) {
-                throw new CompilationException("Range fields are not in sorted order.");
+                throw new CompilationException(ErrorCode.COMPILATION_ERROR, sourceLoc,
+                        "Range fields are not in sorted order.");
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/formats/nontagged/BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider.java b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/formats/nontagged/BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider.java
index 396bf3b..eea9fed 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/formats/nontagged/BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/formats/nontagged/BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider.java
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
 
+import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.RuntimeDataException;
 import org.apache.asterix.dataflow.data.nontagged.comparators.ACirclePartialBinaryComparatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.dataflow.data.nontagged.comparators.ADurationPartialBinaryComparatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.dataflow.data.nontagged.comparators.AGenericAscBinaryComparatorFactory;
@@ -112,13 +114,13 @@
         return createGenericBinaryComparatorFactory((IAType) leftType, (IAType) rightType, ascending);
     }
 
-    public IBinaryComparatorFactory getBinaryComparatorFactory(ATypeTag type, boolean ascending) {
+    public IBinaryComparatorFactory getBinaryComparatorFactory(ATypeTag type, boolean ascending)
+            throws RuntimeDataException {
         switch (type) {
             case ANY:
-            case UNION:
-                // i think UNION shouldn't be allowed. the actual type could be closed array or record. ANY would fail.
-                // we could do smth better for nullable fields
                 return createGenericBinaryComparatorFactory(BuiltinType.ANY, BuiltinType.ANY, ascending);
+            case UNION:
+                throw new RuntimeDataException(ErrorCode.TYPE_UNSUPPORTED, "Comparator", type);
             case NULL:
             case MISSING:
                 return new AnyBinaryComparatorFactory();