diff --git a/src/gretel_trainer/relational/extractor.py b/src/gretel_trainer/relational/extractor.py
index a99ac90a..38c73fbb 100644
--- a/src/gretel_trainer/relational/extractor.py
+++ b/src/gretel_trainer/relational/extractor.py
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ def _load_table_pk_values(
         parent_column_names: list[str] = []
         pk_set = set(self._relational_data.get_primary_key(table_name))
         logger.debug(
-            f"Extacting primary key values for sampling from table '{table_name}'"
+            f"Extracting primary key values for sampling from table '{table_name}'"
         )
 
         for child_table_name in child_table_names:
@@ -380,8 +380,18 @@ def _load_table_pk_values(
                     else:
                         values_ddf = dd.concat([values_ddf, tmp_ddf])  # pyright: ignore
 
-        if parent_column_names:
-            values_ddf = values_ddf.drop_duplicates()  # pyright: ignore
+        # Dropping the duplicates *only* works consistently
+        # when operating on a specific subset of columns using the []
+        # notation. Using the "subset=" kwarg does not work, and neither
+        # does operating on the entire DDF.
+        if parent_column_names and values_ddf is not None:
+            values_ddf = values_ddf[  # pyright: ignore
+                parent_column_names
+            ].drop_duplicates()  # pyright: ignore
+        else:
+            raise TableExtractorError(
+                f"Could not extract primary key values needed to sample from table `{table_name}`"
+            )
 
         return _PKValues(
             table_name=table_name,
@@ -422,7 +432,18 @@ def handle_partition(df: pd.DataFrame, lock: Lock):
         logger.debug(
             f"Sampling primary key values for parent table '{pk_values.table_name}'"
         )
-        pk_values.values_ddf.map_partitions(handle_partition, lock).compute()
+
+        # By providing the "meta" kwarg, this prevents
+        # Dask from running the map function ("handle_partition") on
+        # dummy data in an attempt to infer the metdata (which we don't
+        # need for the purposes of making the SQL queries). When this
+        # dummy partition is mapped, it was using the values in the
+        # partition to make additional SQL queries which can have
+        # unintended side effects. See the "map_partition" docs
+        # for more details if interested.
+        pk_values.values_ddf.map_partitions(
+            handle_partition, lock, meta=(None, "object")
+        ).compute()
 
         return row_count