<p>The ALTER TABLE ... REORGANIZE PARTITION statement specifies more partitions than currently exist, so MySQL halts the operation and raises error 1516.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1516 ER_REORG_PARTITION_NOT_EXIST occurs when ALTER TABLE ... REORGANIZE PARTITION lists more partitions than are present. Verify existing partition names with SHOW CREATE TABLE and match your REORGANIZE statement to them, or split a single source partition correctly. Align counts to resolve the issue.</p>
More partitions to reorganize than there are partitions
The server throws error 1516 when an ALTER TABLE ... REORGANIZE PARTITION command names more partitions than actually exist in the table definition. MySQL cannot map non-existent or excess partitions, so it stops and returns the error.
The error surfaces during maintenance on partitioned tables, especially while splitting or merging partitions for archival or performance reasons. It frequently happens after schema changes or copy-pasting examples that reference outdated partition names.
Failed partition operations leave tables unchanged, blocking deploy scripts and delaying data reorganization. Repeated failures can also cause confusion in CI pipelines and prolong maintenance windows on production systems.
Listing more source partitions than the table owns or supplying destination partitions without specifying the correct source names both trigger the fault. Typos in partition names and forgotten wildcard logic are common culprits.
Inspect the current partition layout with SHOW CREATE TABLE, then craft an ALTER TABLE statement where the number of source partitions equals or exceeds the destination mapping rules. Always quote the exact partition names that exist.
If you intend to split one partition into three, specify only that single source partition followed by three destination partitions. If merging, ensure the list of source partitions is valid and no extra names are present.
Automate partition discovery in migration scripts, keep naming conventions consistent, and version partition definitions alongside schema files. Tools like Galaxy highlight partition metadata inline, helping engineers validate statements before execution.
Errors 1481, 1505, and 1526 also involve partition mismanagement. Review each message carefully, as fixes typically require adjusting partition counts, names, or boundary values.
A typo in the REORGANIZE PARTITION list means MySQL cannot find the referenced partition.
Developers sometimes list several partitions to reorganize even though the table has fewer, triggering the count mismatch.
Sample code pasted from documentation may reference partitions that do not exist in the current schema.
Partition layouts evolved, but old deployment scripts still reference obsolete partition names.
Raised when subpartition definitions are invalid. Fix by aligning subpartition syntax with documentation.
Occurs if partition definitions conflict with unique keys. Ensure partitioning columns are part of every unique key.
Thrown when altering a partitioned table removes mandatory columns. Include partition key columns in the new definition.
No. You must specify which existing partitions you are reorganizing into the new ones.
Yes, if the source partition list exceeds what exists. The principle is identical.
No. ANALYZE TABLE updates statistics only; it does not alter partition layouts.
Galaxy shows partition metadata alongside table definitions, letting you confirm names before running REORGANIZE commands.
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