more defensive code. Partial fix for bug 3300
more defensive code. Partial fix for bug 3300

zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb,zyzyis/monetdb