<p>The error appears when you attempt to create a foreign key that references, or is referenced by, a partitioned table in MySQL versions where partitioned InnoDB tables do not support foreign keys.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1506 ER_FOREIGN_KEY_ON_PARTITIONED means you are adding a foreign key that involves a partitioned table, which MySQL versions prior to 8.0.13 do not allow. Define the tables without partitioning or upgrade to a version that supports partitioned InnoDB foreign keys to resolve the issue.</p>
Foreign keys are not yet supported in conjunction with
MySQL throws error 1506 ER_FOREIGN_KEY_ON_PARTITIONED with the message "Foreign keys are not yet supported in conjunction with partitioning" when you execute CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE that adds a foreign key involving a partitioned table.
The storage engine can enforce foreign keys only if the entire index tree is managed cohesively. Prior to MySQL 8.0.13, partitioning breaks this cohesion, so InnoDB blocks any foreign key definition that points to or from a partitioned table.
Ignoring the limitation blocks schema migrations, disrupts application deployments, and prevents enforcing referential integrity. Fixing it ensures data consistency and lets you proceed with partitioning strategies safely.
The primary cause is attempting to reference a partitioned table or make a partitioned table reference another table through a foreign key in versions where this feature is unsupported.
Additional triggers include using CREATE TABLE ... PARTITION BY with a REFERENCES clause, or running ALTER TABLE to partition an existing foreign-key table.
Fix the issue by removing partitioning, upgrading MySQL to 8.0.13 or later, or redesigning the schema to avoid cross-table constraints on partitioned data.
After the change, re-run the DDL statement to verify that the foreign key is accepted.
Scenario 1: Legacy MySQL 5.7 installation. Solution: drop PARTITION clauses and use separate non-partitioned tables or application-level sharding.
Scenario 2: Migrating to MySQL 8.0.13+. Solution: upgrade engine, convert tables to InnoDB, then add the foreign key.
Plan partitioning before adding foreign keys, test schema changes in staging, and monitor error logs. Maintain version documentation so teams know which features are supported.
Use Galaxy's schema-aware AI copilot to simulate DDL changes and highlight unsupported combinations before they reach production.
Error 1215 "Cannot add foreign key constraint" may appear if other constraint rules are broken. Error 1505 "Table creation failed" can be the umbrella message when partitioning conflicts with unique keys. Resolve them by checking engine support and index compatibility.
The referenced table uses PARTITION BY, blocking any child-table foreign key definitions in unsupported MySQL versions.
The table you are creating or altering is partitioned and attempts to reference a non-partitioned parent via FOREIGN KEY.
Running ALTER TABLE ... PARTITION BY on a table that already holds foreign keys triggers the error.
Generic constraint failure often caused by mismatched column types or unsupported features.
Appears when referenced indexes are missing or partitioning blocks table creation.
Raised when you attempt partition operations on a non-partitioned table.
Yes. From 8.0.13 onward, InnoDB allows foreign keys on partitioned tables, provided both parent and child use the same partitioning scheme.
In older versions, no. You must either remove partitioning or enforce checks in the application layer.
No. The limitation is at the server layer. Only upgrading MySQL or dropping partitioning resolves it.
Galaxy's context-aware AI warns about unsupported feature combinations and previews DDL statements, preventing this error before it reaches production.
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