diff --git a/nova/objects/resource_provider.py b/nova/objects/resource_provider.py
index bc61a92d9c..54377d06b3 100644
--- a/nova/objects/resource_provider.py
+++ b/nova/objects/resource_provider.py
@@ -739,8 +739,11 @@ def _check_capacity_exceeded(conn, allocs):
     # Ensure that all providers have existing inventory
     missing_provs = provider_uuids - provs_with_inv
     if missing_provs:
-        raise exception.InvalidInventory(resource_class=str(res_classes),
-                resource_provider=missing_provs)
+        class_str = ', '.join([fields.ResourceClass.from_index(res_class)
+                               for res_class in res_classes])
+        provider_str = ', '.join(missing_provs)
+        raise exception.InvalidInventory(resource_class=class_str,
+                resource_provider=provider_str)
 
     res_providers = {}
     for alloc in allocs:
diff --git a/nova/tests/functional/db/test_resource_provider.py b/nova/tests/functional/db/test_resource_provider.py
index 1774195e8d..355c8d7f3b 100644
--- a/nova/tests/functional/db/test_resource_provider.py
+++ b/nova/tests/functional/db/test_resource_provider.py
@@ -731,8 +731,14 @@ class TestAllocationListCreateDelete(ResourceProviderBaseCase):
             self.context, objects=[allocation_1, allocation_2])
 
         # There's no inventory, we have a failure.
-        self.assertRaises(exception.InvalidInventory,
-                          allocation_list.create_all)
+        error = self.assertRaises(exception.InvalidInventory,
+                                  allocation_list.create_all)
+        # Confirm that the resource class string, not index, is in
+        # the exception and resource providers are listed by uuid.
+        self.assertIn(rp1_class, str(error))
+        self.assertIn(rp2_class, str(error))
+        self.assertIn(rp1.uuid, str(error))
+        self.assertIn(rp2.uuid, str(error))
 
         # Add inventory for one of the two resource providers. This should also
         # fail, since rp2 has no inventory.