diff --git a/engine/api/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/ColumnDefinition.java b/engine/api/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/ColumnDefinition.java
index 2a6ce0160c2..684f63191e2 100644
--- a/engine/api/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/ColumnDefinition.java
+++ b/engine/api/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/ColumnDefinition.java
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ private ColumnDefinition(
             @NotNull final Class<TYPE> dataType,
             @Nullable final Class<?> componentType,
             @NotNull final ColumnType columnType) {
-        this.name = Objects.requireNonNull(name);
+        this.name = Objects.requireNonNull(name, "Column names cannot be null");
         this.dataType = Objects.requireNonNull(dataType);
         this.componentType = componentType;
         this.columnType = Objects.requireNonNull(columnType);
diff --git a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/InMemoryTable.java b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/InMemoryTable.java
index c7f135ee388..c6b05308878 100644
--- a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/InMemoryTable.java
+++ b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/InMemoryTable.java
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  */
 package io.deephaven.engine.table.impl;
 
-import io.deephaven.datastructures.util.CollectionUtil;
+import io.deephaven.engine.exceptions.ArgumentException;
 import io.deephaven.engine.table.TableDefinition;
 import io.deephaven.engine.table.impl.sources.ArrayBackedColumnSource;
 import io.deephaven.engine.table.ColumnSource;
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 import io.deephaven.qst.table.NewTable;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.Array;
-import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 
@@ -64,7 +63,13 @@ private InMemoryTable(TableDefinition definition, TrackingRowSet rowSet,
     private static Map<String, ColumnSource<?>> createColumnsMap(String[] columnNames, Object[] arrayValues) {
         Map<String, ColumnSource<?>> map = new LinkedHashMap<>();
         for (int i = 0; i < columnNames.length; i++) {
-            map.put(columnNames[i], ArrayBackedColumnSource.getMemoryColumnSourceUntyped((arrayValues[i])));
+            final String columnName = columnNames[i];
+            final Object array = arrayValues[i];
+            if (array == null) {
+                throw new ArgumentException("Value array for column " + columnName + " is null");
+            }
+
+            map.put(columnName, ArrayBackedColumnSource.getMemoryColumnSourceUntyped(array));
         }
         return map;
     }
diff --git a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/util/TableTools.java b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/util/TableTools.java
index 80473c8d827..bb419ecbb53 100644
--- a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/util/TableTools.java
+++ b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/util/TableTools.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import io.deephaven.base.verify.Require;
 import io.deephaven.datastructures.util.CollectionUtil;
 import io.deephaven.engine.context.ExecutionContext;
+import io.deephaven.engine.exceptions.ArgumentException;
 import io.deephaven.engine.rowset.WritableRowSet;
 import io.deephaven.engine.rowset.RowSequence;
 import io.deephaven.engine.rowset.RowSetFactory;
@@ -694,8 +695,7 @@ private static <MT extends Map<KT, VT>, KT, VT> MT newMapFromLists(Class<MT> map
      */
     public static Table newTable(long size, List<String> names, List<ColumnSource<?>> columnSources) {
         // noinspection unchecked
-        return new QueryTable(RowSetFactory.flat(size).toTracking(),
-                newMapFromLists(LinkedHashMap.class, names, columnSources));
+        return newTable(size, newMapFromLists(LinkedHashMap.class, names, columnSources));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -706,6 +706,13 @@ public static Table newTable(long size, List<String> names, List<ColumnSource<?>
      * @return a Deephaven Table
      */
     public static Table newTable(long size, Map<String, ColumnSource<?>> columns) {
+        for (final Map.Entry<String, ColumnSource<?>> entry : columns.entrySet()) {
+            final String columnName = entry.getKey();
+            if (entry.getValue() == null) {
+                throw new ArgumentException("Column source for " + columnName + " is null");
+            }
+        }
+
         return new QueryTable(RowSetFactory.flat(size).toTracking(), columns);
     }