<p>Raised when ALTER TABLE ... ADD PARTITION does not introduce at least one new partition.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1514: ER_ADD_PARTITION_NO_NEW_PARTITION occurs when ALTER TABLE ... ADD PARTITION adds no new partitions. Supply at least one unique PARTITION clause to resolve the error.</p>
At least one partition must be added
MySQL throws this error when the ALTER TABLE ... ADD PARTITION statement completes syntactically but no genuinely new partition definitions are supplied. Because at least one new partition must be created, the server aborts the command and returns error code 1514 with SQLSTATE HY000.
The issue appears during maintenance scripts that calculate partitions dynamically or when developers copy an example statement but forget to update the VALUES clause. Fixing it is critical because the table remains unpartitioned or lacks the desired time range, which can hurt performance and data retention.
The primary trigger is an ADD PARTITION clause that duplicates an existing range or list value, leaving the table definition unchanged. MySQL detects this no-op and raises ER_ADD_PARTITION_NO_NEW_PARTITION.
The error also surfaces when a generated variable resolves to an existing partition name, when IF NOT EXISTS is unsupported, or when the partitioning expression no longer matches the proposed VALUES clause after a schema refactor.
Confirm the current partition layout with SHOW CREATE TABLE or INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PARTITIONS. Then craft an ALTER TABLE statement that genuinely extends the range, list or hash set with at least one unique partition name and boundary.
Run the corrected SQL in a test environment first. If automation generates the statement, add logic to skip execution when no new range is needed, or append IF NOT EXISTS checks available from MySQL 8.0.16 onward.
Monthly range partitioning often fails at month rollover when a cron job executes twice and tries to add the same p202401 partition. Guard the process by querying MAX(PARTITION_DESCRIPTION) and adding only greater ranges.
During migrations from yearly to quarterly partitions, scripts that loop through years may create duplicates. Recalculate values and names before issuing the ALTER.
Automate partition maintenance with idempotent procedures that validate existing boundaries. Include IF NOT EXISTS and functional checks inside stored routines or application code.
Track partition metadata in your CI pipeline and review diffs. Galaxy's versioned SQL editor highlights changes and lets teams endorse the correct partition script, reducing the chance of duplicate boundaries.
ER_DROP_PARTITION_NON_EXISTENT occurs when you try to drop a partition that does not exist. Verify with INFORMATION_SCHEMA before removal.
ER_PARTITION_SUBPARTITION_ERROR appears when subpartitioning clauses are malformed. Align subpartition definitions with primary partitioning functions.
Adding a partition whose VALUES clause overlaps an existing range or duplicates a list value results in no change, triggering the error.
Supplying ALTER TABLE ... ADD PARTITION () with nothing inside gives MySQL zero partitions to create and raises error 1514.
Automation that builds the partition list at runtime may resolve to an empty string or already existing partitions due to incorrect date math or variable binding.
If the table's partitioning key was altered but maintenance scripts were not updated, the new VALUES boundaries are invalid, prompting the error.
Raised when DROP PARTITION names a partition that is not present in the table.
Occurs when subpartition definitions are inconsistent with the main partitioning scheme.
Triggered when VALUES LESS THAN clause contains invalid or unordered constants.
No. The command did not add the intended partitions, leaving future inserts outside defined ranges to fail.
Yes, starting in MySQL 8.0.16 you can use ALTER TABLE ... ADD PARTITION IF NOT EXISTS to silence duplicates.
Query INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PARTITIONS for the maximum PARTITION_DESCRIPTION and calculate the next logical boundary.
Galaxy highlights the diff between current and proposed partition scripts, offers AI suggestions, and shares endorsed SQL across the team.
.avif)
.avif){kind=logo}
