diff --git a/crates/cli/src/parse/query.rs b/crates/cli/src/parse/query.rs
index 4504822b..6d1dba65 100644
--- a/crates/cli/src/parse/query.rs
+++ b/crates/cli/src/parse/query.rs
@@ -107,6 +107,57 @@ fn parse_schemas(args: &Args) -> Result<HashMap<Datatype, Table>, ParseError> {
                 })
         })
         .collect();
+
+    // make sure all included columns ended up in at least one schema
+    if let (Ok(schemas), Some(include_columns)) = (&schemas, &args.include_columns) {
+        let mut unknown_columns = Vec::new();
+        for column in include_columns.iter() {
+            let mut in_a_schema = false;
+
+            for schema in schemas.values() {
+                if schema.has_column(column) {
+                    in_a_schema = true;
+                    break
+                }
+            }
+
+            if !in_a_schema {
+                unknown_columns.push(column);
+            }
+        }
+        if !unknown_columns.is_empty() {
+            return Err(ParseError::ParseError(format!(
+                "datatypes do not support these columns: {:?}",
+                unknown_columns
+            )))
+        }
+    };
+
+    // make sure all excluded columns are excluded from at least one schema
+    if let (Ok(schemas), Some(exclude_columns)) = (&schemas, &args.exclude_columns) {
+        let mut unknown_columns = Vec::new();
+        for column in exclude_columns.iter() {
+            let mut in_a_schema = false;
+
+            for datatype in schemas.keys() {
+                if datatype.dataset().column_types().contains_key(&column.as_str()) {
+                    in_a_schema = true;
+                    break
+                }
+            }
+
+            if !in_a_schema {
+                unknown_columns.push(column);
+            }
+        }
+        if !unknown_columns.is_empty() {
+            return Err(ParseError::ParseError(format!(
+                "datatypes do not support these columns: {:?}",
+                unknown_columns
+            )))
+        }
+    };
+
     schemas
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/freeze/src/types/errors.rs b/crates/freeze/src/types/errors.rs
index e3f697bf..57e4cc27 100644
--- a/crates/freeze/src/types/errors.rs
+++ b/crates/freeze/src/types/errors.rs
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ pub enum CollectError {
 #[derive(Error, Debug)]
 pub enum ParseError {
     /// Error related to parsing
-    #[error("Parsing error {0:?}")]
+    #[error("Parsing error: {0}")]
     ParseError(String),
 
     /// Error related to provider operations
diff --git a/crates/freeze/src/types/schemas.rs b/crates/freeze/src/types/schemas.rs
index 83cbb5ff..f9f560d4 100644
--- a/crates/freeze/src/types/schemas.rs
+++ b/crates/freeze/src/types/schemas.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-use std::collections::HashSet;
-
-use indexmap::IndexMap;
+use indexmap::{IndexMap, IndexSet};
 use thiserror::Error;
 
 use crate::types::{ColumnEncoding, Datatype};
@@ -93,9 +91,15 @@ impl Datatype {
         sort: Option<Vec<String>>,
     ) -> Result<Table, SchemaError> {
         let column_types = self.dataset().column_types();
+        let all_columns = column_types.keys().map(|k| k.to_string()).collect();
         let default_columns = self.dataset().default_columns();
-        let used_columns =
-            compute_used_columns(default_columns, include_columns, exclude_columns, columns, self);
+        let used_columns = compute_used_columns(
+            all_columns,
+            default_columns,
+            include_columns,
+            exclude_columns,
+            columns,
+        );
         let mut columns = IndexMap::new();
         for column in used_columns {
             let mut ctype = column_types.get(column.as_str()).ok_or(SchemaError::InvalidColumn)?;
@@ -110,47 +114,119 @@ impl Datatype {
 }
 
 fn compute_used_columns(
+    all_columns: IndexSet<String>,
     default_columns: Vec<&str>,
     include_columns: &Option<Vec<String>>,
     exclude_columns: &Option<Vec<String>>,
     columns: &Option<Vec<String>>,
-    datatype: &Datatype,
-) -> Vec<String> {
-    match (columns, include_columns, exclude_columns) {
-        (Some(columns), _, _) if ((columns.len() == 1) & columns.contains(&"all".to_string())) => {
-            datatype.dataset().column_types().keys().map(|k| k.to_string()).collect()
-        }
-        (Some(columns), _, _) => columns.iter().map(|x| x.to_string()).collect(),
-        (_, Some(include), _) if ((include.len() == 1) & include.contains(&"all".to_string())) => {
-            datatype.dataset().column_types().keys().map(|k| k.to_string()).collect()
-        }
-        (_, Some(include), Some(exclude)) => {
-            let mut result: Vec<String> = default_columns.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect();
-            let mut result_set: HashSet<String> = result.iter().cloned().collect();
-            let exclude_set: HashSet<String> = exclude.iter().cloned().collect();
-            include
-                .iter()
-                .filter(|item| !exclude_set.contains(*item) && result_set.insert(item.to_string()))
-                .for_each(|item| result.push(item.clone()));
-            result
+) -> IndexSet<String> {
+    if let Some(columns) = columns {
+        if (columns.len() == 1) & columns.contains(&"all".to_string()) {
+            return all_columns
         }
-        (_, Some(include), None) => {
-            let mut result: Vec<String> = default_columns.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect();
-            let mut result_set: HashSet<String> = result.iter().cloned().collect();
-            include
-                .iter()
-                .filter(|item| result_set.insert(item.to_string()))
-                .for_each(|item| result.push(item.clone()));
-            result
-        }
-        (_, None, Some(exclude)) => {
-            let exclude_set: HashSet<_> = exclude.iter().collect();
-            default_columns
-                .into_iter()
-                .filter(|s| !exclude_set.contains(&s.to_string()))
-                .map(|s| s.to_string())
-                .collect()
+        return columns.iter().map(|x| x.to_string()).collect()
+    }
+    let mut result_set = IndexSet::from_iter(default_columns.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()));
+    if let Some(include) = include_columns {
+        if (include.len() == 1) & include.contains(&"all".to_string()) {
+            return all_columns
         }
-        (_, None, None) => default_columns.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect(),
+        // Permissively skip `include` columns that are not in this dataset (they might apply to
+        // other dataset)
+        result_set.extend(include.iter().cloned());
+        result_set = result_set.intersection(&all_columns).cloned().collect()
+    }
+    if let Some(exclude) = exclude_columns {
+        let exclude_set = IndexSet::<String>::from_iter(exclude.iter().cloned());
+        result_set = result_set.difference(&exclude_set).cloned().collect()
+    }
+    result_set
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_table_schema_explicit_cols() {
+        let cols = Some(vec!["number".to_string(), "hash".to_string()]);
+        let table =
+            Datatype::Blocks.table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &None, &None, &cols, None).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(vec!["number", "hash"], table.columns());
+
+        // "all" marker support
+        let cols = Some(vec!["all".to_string()]);
+        let table =
+            Datatype::Blocks.table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &None, &None, &cols, None).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(15, table.columns().len());
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"hash"));
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"transactions_root"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_table_schema_include_cols() {
+        let inc_cols = Some(vec!["chain_id".to_string(), "receipts_root".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &inc_cols, &None, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(9, table.columns().len());
+        assert_eq!(["chain_id", "receipts_root"], table.columns()[7..9]);
+
+        // Non-existing include is skipped
+        let inc_cols = Some(vec!["chain_id".to_string(), "foo_bar".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &inc_cols, &None, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(Some(&"chain_id"), table.columns().last());
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"foo_bar"));
+
+        // "all" marker support
+        let inc_cols = Some(vec!["all".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &inc_cols, &None, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(15, table.columns().len());
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"hash"));
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"transactions_root"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_table_schema_exclude_cols() {
+        // defaults
+        let table =
+            Datatype::Blocks.table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &None, &None, &None, None).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(7, table.columns().len());
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"author"));
+        assert!(table.columns().contains(&"extra_data"));
+
+        let ex_cols = Some(vec!["author".to_string(), "extra_data".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &None, &ex_cols, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(5, table.columns().len());
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"author"));
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"extra_data"));
+
+        // Non-existing exclude is ignored
+        let ex_cols = Some(vec!["timestamp".to_string(), "foo_bar".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &None, &ex_cols, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(6, table.columns().len());
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"timestamp"));
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"foo_bar"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_table_schema_include_and_exclude_cols() {
+        let inc_cols = Some(vec!["chain_id".to_string(), "receipts_root".to_string()]);
+        let ex_cols = Some(vec!["author".to_string(), "extra_data".to_string()]);
+        let table = Datatype::Blocks
+            .table_schema(&ColumnEncoding::Hex, &inc_cols, &ex_cols, &None, None)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"author"));
+        assert!(!table.columns().contains(&"extra_data"));
+        assert_eq!(7, table.columns().len());
+        assert_eq!(["chain_id", "receipts_root"], table.columns()[5..7]);
     }
 }