diff --git a/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala b/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
index 0b59ed1739566..85bfd5bbb48ef 100644
--- a/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
+++ b/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ import org.apache.spark.sql.types.IntegerType
  */
 object SimpleAnalyzer extends Analyzer(EmptyCatalog, EmptyFunctionRegistry, true)
 
+/**
+ * Thrown when a query fails to analyze, usually because the query itself is invalid.
+ */
+class AnalysisException(message: String) extends Exception(message) with Serializable
+
 /**
  * Provides a logical query plan analyzer, which translates [[UnresolvedAttribute]]s and
  * [[UnresolvedRelation]]s into fully typed objects using information in a schema [[Catalog]] and
@@ -81,16 +86,18 @@ class Analyzer(catalog: Catalog,
    */
   object CheckResolution extends Rule[LogicalPlan] {
     def apply(plan: LogicalPlan): LogicalPlan = {
-      plan.transform {
+      plan.transformUp {
         case p if p.expressions.exists(!_.resolved) =>
-          throw new TreeNodeException(p,
-            s"Unresolved attributes: ${p.expressions.filterNot(_.resolved).mkString(",")}")
+          val missing = p.expressions.filterNot(_.resolved).map(_.prettyString).mkString(",")
+          val from = p.inputSet.map(_.name).mkString("{", ", ", "}")
+
+          throw new AnalysisException(s"Cannot resolve '$missing' given input columns $from")
         case p if !p.resolved && p.childrenResolved =>
-          throw new TreeNodeException(p, "Unresolved plan found")
+          throw new AnalysisException(s"Unresolved operator in the query plan ${p.simpleString}")
       } match {
         // As a backstop, use the root node to check that the entire plan tree is resolved.
         case p if !p.resolved =>
-          throw new TreeNodeException(p, "Unresolved plan in tree")
+          throw new AnalysisException(s"Unresolved operator in the query plan ${p.simpleString}")
         case p => p
       }
     }