MySQL raises ER_TABLE_NEEDS_UPG_PART (3172) when a partitioned table created in an older server version needs internal metadata upgrades before it can be accessed.
ER_TABLE_NEEDS_UPG_PART appears when a partitioned table was built before MySQL 5.7.9 and its partition metadata is outdated. Run ALTER TABLE your_db.your_table UPGRADE PARTITIONING or dump and reload the table to resolve the issue.
ER_TABLE_NEEDS_UPG_PART
Error 3172 (SQLSTATE HY000) tells MySQL that the partitioning metadata stored with a table no longer matches the version expected by the running server. The table was usually created before MySQL 5.7.9, when a new storage format for partition definitions was introduced.
When the server encounters such a table it refuses access and raises “Partitioning upgrade required. Please dump/reload to fix” to prevent data corruption. Until the metadata is upgraded, any SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or ALTER command on the table fails immediately.
The root cause is an old FRM file or InnoDB dictionary entry that still uses the pre-5.7 partitioning layout. Upgrading MySQL does not automatically rewrite these definitions, so the first access after an upgrade triggers the error.
Cloning databases across versions, restoring physical backups made on older servers, or replicating from an old primary can surface the problem if the newer replica touches an outdated table.
The fastest online fix is ALTER TABLE … UPGRADE PARTITIONING, which rewrites the partition metadata in place without touching data rows.
ALTER TABLE `mydb`.`sales_fact` UPGRADE PARTITIONING;
If the table cannot be altered in place, create a logical dump and reload it with mysqldump or MySQL Shell. This recreates the table using the current metadata format.
After in-place major version upgrades, run a script that scans information_schema.PARTITIONS for tables with partition_expression IS NULL and automatically issues UPGRADE PARTITIONING.
During replication migrations, upgrade partitioning on the primary before adding newer replicas to avoid replication stops.
Always execute mysql_upgrade or mysqlcheck -o -p after major server upgrades; both utilities refresh partition metadata.
Maintain a CI job that reloads schema definitions in a staging server running the target version so legacy issues surface before production deployment.
ER_TABLE_NEEDS_REBUILD appears when InnoDB needs to rebuild a table for ROW_FORMAT changes; use ALTER TABLE … FORCE to resolve.
ER_TABLE_DEF_CHANGED fires during replication if a table definition differs between primary and replica; ensure identical CREATE TABLE statements or replicate DDL.
The table was created before MySQL 5.7.9 and still uses the legacy partition definition format.
Files were moved between servers of different major versions without logical dump and reload.
A replica upgraded to 8.0 receives changes to a legacy partitioned table from a 5.6 primary.
Administrators upgraded the binaries but forgot to run mysql_upgrade or mysqlcheck utilities.
Indicates InnoDB needs to rebuild the table due to row format changes.
Warns that certain partition options are deprecated and should be updated.
Replication stops because table definitions differ between servers.
No. The server blocks all access to the table until metadata is upgraded.
ALTER TABLE … UPGRADE PARTITIONING only rewrites metadata; data pages stay untouched.
The ALTER TABLE operation is online for InnoDB. Logical dump requires application downtime or read-only mode.
Galaxy’s migration checker surfaces partition format issues during schema review and can run the necessary ALTER statements directly from the editor.
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