<p>MySQL raises ER_EVENT_ALREADY_EXISTS (code 1537) when a CREATE EVENT statement attempts to define an event name that is already present in the current database.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1537: ER_EVENT_ALREADY_EXISTS occurs when you try to create a scheduled event with a name that already exists in the same database. Confirm the event list with SHOW EVENTS, then rename the new event or run DROP EVENT IF EXISTS before CREATE EVENT to resolve the problem.</p>
Event '%s' already exists
MySQL throws error 1537 with the message "Event '%s' already exists" when the server finds another event with the same name in the currently selected database.
The error appears during CREATE EVENT or ALTER EVENT ... RENAME TO statements. MySQL enforces unique event names per schema to avoid scheduling conflicts.
The most common trigger is executing CREATE EVENT without checking whether the event already exists. A migration or import script may run twice and attempt to recreate the same event, producing the duplicate-name error.
This error can also surface when restoring a dump that contains CREATE EVENT statements but the target database already holds the events.
Resolve the issue by removing or renaming the conflicting event. Use DROP EVENT IF EXISTS to delete it, or change the event name in your CREATE EVENT statement.
If you need an idempotent deployment script, wrap the creation in a conditional existence check or use CREATE OR REPLACE syntax (MySQL 8.0.13+).
Continuous deployment pipelines often re-apply schema files. Adding IF EXISTS / IF NOT EXISTS guards makes the operation repeatable and prevents the duplicate-event failure.
During data migrations, restore the dump to an empty staging schema first, then switch schemas. This avoids clashes with existing events in production.
Adopt a convention of prefixing event names with environment or application identifiers to reduce accidental overlap.
Integrate schema-versioning tools and run SHOW EVENTS before deployment so that your CI process can detect duplicates early.
Error 1007 ER_DB_CREATE_EXISTS signals a duplicate database name. Error 1050 ER_TABLE_EXISTS_ERROR indicates a table name collision. Their fixes mirror this error: verify existence, then rename or drop the conflicting object.
A script reruns and issues CREATE EVENT with the same name in the same schema, triggering the duplicate-name check.
The dump already contains the event definitions, and the target database still holds copies from a previous load.
Production may have extra scheduled events that are missing from development, causing surprises when changes are promoted.
Raised when attempting to create a table that already exists. Fix with DROP TABLE IF EXISTS or CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE.
Occurs when a stored procedure of the same name exists. Resolve by dropping or renaming the procedure.
Triggered by trying to create a database that already exists. Use IF NOT EXISTS or drop the database first.
No. Before MySQL 8.0.13 there is no IF NOT EXISTS for CREATE EVENT. Use SHOW EVENTS or DROP EVENT IF EXISTS.
Yes. Use DROP EVENT IF EXISTS followed by CREATE EVENT, or use CREATE OR REPLACE EVENT in MySQL 8.0.13 and later.
Yes, if the new name collides with an existing event in the same schema.
Galaxy highlights existing objects in auto-complete and flags duplicate names before you run the query, preventing ER_EVENT_ALREADY_EXISTS during development.
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