<p>Occurs when a CREATE or ALTER TABLE statement defines zero partitions.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1504: ER_NO_PARTS_ERROR appears when a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement specifies zero partitions. Define at least one PARTITION or remove the PARTITION BY clause to resolve the error.</p>
Number of %s = 0 is not an allowed value
MySQL raises error 1504 with SQL state HY000 when a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE command includes PARTITION BY but no PARTITION definitions. The engine validates that the number of partitions is greater than zero and aborts if it equals zero.
The message Number of %s = 0 is not an allowed value signals that the partition count parameter is invalid. The problem surfaces in MySQL 5.1 and newer where native partitioning is supported.
The error appears immediately after the statement is parsed. It is common during initial schema design, automated DDL generation, and migrations that drop all partitions unintentionally.
It can also occur in tools that template partition clauses but leave the partition list empty, or in CI pipelines that rebuild tables with variable partition counts.
An aborted DDL statement blocks subsequent operations and may leave deployment scripts in an inconsistent state. Fixing the error ensures tables are created correctly and data can be inserted.
Ignoring it halts schema migrations and can break application startup when tables or indexes are missing.
Zero partition definitions, dynamic scripting that sets a partition count variable to zero, and misuse of PARTITION BY without accompanying PARTITION clauses are primary triggers.
Altering a table to DROP PARTITION without adding new ones or mistakenly setting partition_count = 0 in stored procedures will also raise the error.
Provide at least one PARTITION clause in the DDL or remove the partitioning directive entirely. Verify variables that feed partition counts and ensure they evaluate to a positive integer.
Use conditional logic in migration scripts to skip partitioning when not required instead of passing zero.
Creating a date-range partitioned table without specifying the RANGE values triggers the error. Add VALUES LESS THAN clauses for each partition.
Automated scripts that disable partitioning with partition_cnt=0 should be changed to omit the PARTITION BY section when the count is zero.
Template partitioned DDL with required placeholders and validation checks. Add unit tests in CI to confirm generated SQL includes at least one PARTITION.
Store partition strategy in Galaxy Collections so teams reuse vetted queries, reducing human error during manual edits.
Errors 1503 (ER_FIELD_NOT_FOUND_PART_ERROR) and 1505 (ER_PARTITION_COLUMN_LIST_ERROR) also involve partitioning syntax issues. They can be fixed by correcting column lists or range values.
Table definition errors like 1050 (ER_TABLE_EXISTS_ERROR) are unrelated to partitions but often appear during the same migrations. Handle them by dropping or renaming existing tables.
Using PARTITION BY without any PARTITIONS section causes MySQL to raise error 1504.
Dynamic SQL that sets a partition_count variable to 0 produces a zero-partition statement at runtime.
Removing all partitions with ALTER TABLE DROP PARTITION and not adding new ones leaves the table with zero partitions.
ORMs or code generators that include a partition clause template but fail to populate partition definitions emit invalid DDL.
Occurs when a partitioning key column is missing from the table definition. Add the column or adjust the partition key.
Raised when the column list in partitioning syntax is invalid. Verify column names and order.
Database already exists. Rename or drop the conflicting database before creation.
Yes. MySQL accepts a single partition as long as the PARTITION clause is present and correctly defined.
No. Use partitioning only when query performance or management benefits outweigh added complexity.
Galaxy highlights syntax issues in real time and lets teams share vetted partition templates, reducing the chance of deploying zero-partition DDL.
Native partitioning is available from MySQL 5.1 onward. Earlier versions do not recognize PARTITION BY clauses.
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