diff --git a/db-service/lib/search.js b/db-service/lib/search.js
index 83675ccdc..57a6b87d6 100644
--- a/db-service/lib/search.js
+++ b/db-service/lib/search.js
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ const _getSearchableColumns = entity => {
     deepSearchCandidates.forEach(c => {
       const element = c.ref.reduce((resolveIn, curr, i) => {
         const next = resolveIn.elements?.[curr] || resolveIn._target.elements[curr]
-        if (next.isAssociation && !c.ref[i + 1]) {
+        if (next?.isAssociation && !c.ref[i + 1]) {
           const searchInTarget = _getSearchableColumns(next._target)
           searchInTarget.forEach(elementRefInTarget => {
             searchableColumns.push({ ref: c.ref.concat(...elementRefInTarget.ref) })
diff --git a/db-service/test/bookshop/db/search.cds b/db-service/test/bookshop/db/search.cds
index e916d665a..bbb2ddc00 100644
--- a/db-service/test/bookshop/db/search.cds
+++ b/db-service/test/bookshop/db/search.cds
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ entity Books {
         coAuthor_ID_unmanaged : Integer;
         coAuthorUnmanaged     : Association to Authors
                                     on coAuthorUnmanaged.ID = coAuthor_ID_unmanaged;
+        shelf                 : Association to BookShelf;
 }
 
 @cds.search: {author.lastName}
@@ -70,3 +71,14 @@ entity CalculatedAddresses : Addresses {
 entity CalculatedAddressesWithoutAnno : Addresses {
     calculatedAddress : String = street || ' ' || zip || '' || city
 }
+
+@cds.search: {
+    genre,
+    books.doesNotExist
+}
+entity BookShelf {
+    key ID    : Integer;
+        genre : String;
+        books : Composition of many Books
+                    on books.shelf = $self;
+}
diff --git a/db-service/test/cqn4sql/search.test.js b/db-service/test/cqn4sql/search.test.js
index 1887265e2..be44de4d0 100644
--- a/db-service/test/cqn4sql/search.test.js
+++ b/db-service/test/cqn4sql/search.test.js
@@ -275,6 +275,20 @@ describe('search w/ path expressions', () => {
   } where search((authorWithAddress.note, address.city), 'x')`
     expect(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(res))).to.deep.equal(expected)
   })
+
+  it('dont dump for non existing search paths, but ignore the path', () => {
+    let query = CQL`SELECT from search.BookShelf { ID, genre }`
+    query.SELECT.search = [{ val: 'Harry Plotter' }]
+
+    let res = cqn4sql(query, model)
+    const expected = CQL`
+    SELECT from search.BookShelf as BookShelf
+    {
+      BookShelf.ID,
+      BookShelf.genre
+  } where search((BookShelf.genre), 'Harry Plotter')`
+    expect(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(res))).to.deep.equal(expected)
+  })
 })
 
 describe('calculated elements', () => {