<p>The server blocks partitioned table operations because the chosen storage engine does not support partitioning.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1572 ER_PARTITION_MERGE_ERROR arises when you try to create or modify a partitioned table with an engine that lacks partition support. Convert the table to InnoDB or remove the PARTITION clause to resolve the issue.</p>
Engine cannot be used in partitioned tables
MySQL throws the ER_PARTITION_MERGE_ERROR (Error 1572, SQLSTATE HY000) with message 'Engine cannot be used in partitioned tables' when a CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, or MERGE operation uses a storage engine that lacks native partitioning support.
The error appears during DDL containing a PARTITION clause or partition merge on a table defined with an unsupported engine such as MyISAM, MEMORY, or FEDERATED.
Partition management relies on internal engine features. Engines without the partition handler cannot guarantee data integrity across partitions, so MySQL enforces this restriction at execution time.
All partition-capable MySQL versions enforce this rule. MySQL 8.0 limits partitioned tables to InnoDB and NDB; earlier releases permitted MyISAM but later removed support.
No data loss occurs. The statement fails atomically, and the table remains unchanged until you migrate it to a compatible engine or drop partitioning.
MyISAM tables do not support partitioning, so any CREATE TABLE ... ENGINE=MyISAM PARTITION BY ... fails with Error 1572.
Running ALTER TABLE t1 PARTITION BY HASH(id) on a MyISAM table triggers the error because the engine remains incompatible.
A MERGE or EXCHANGE PARTITION command fails for MEMORY tables because the engine cannot manage partition metadata.
Custom engines compiled without the partition handler interface raise the same error when used in partition definitions.
Raised when partition EXCHANGE references a non-existent table.
Appears when a feature such as multi-column list partitioning is not supported in the current MySQL version.
Thrown when the partitioning function uses a disallowed expression.
Warns that the chosen engine will soon lose partitioning support.
No. MySQL 8.0 removed partitioning support from MyISAM. Convert the table to InnoDB instead.
Yes. Engine conversion rebuilds the table. Confirm that all indexes, foreign keys, and constraints are recreated in the new engine.
ALTER TABLE ... ENGINE=InnoDB locks the table for the duration. Use pt-online-schema-change or MySQL 8.0 instant ALTER to minimise downtime.
Galaxy highlights incompatible engine-partition combinations during code completion and lets teams share corrected DDL in an endorsed Collection.
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