The error appears when MySQL encounters an unrecognized suffix in a global or session system variable assignment.
MySQL Error 58: EE_UNKNOWN_SUFFIX_FOR_VARIABLE occurs when an unsupported suffix (such as K, M, G) is appended to a system variable value. Remove or correct the suffix, or upgrade/downgrade to a version that supports it, to clear the error.
Unknown suffix '%c' used for variable '%s' (value '%s'). EE_UNKNOWN_SUFFIX_FOR_VARIABLE was added in 8.0.13.
Error 58 surfaces when MySQL rejects a variable assignment that contains a size suffix it does not understand. The server halts the statement and returns: Unknown suffix '%c' used for variable '%s' (value '%s').
This error was introduced in MySQL 8.0.13.
Earlier versions silently ignored bad suffixes, so upgrading can suddenly expose misconfigured variables.
Unsupported suffix characters such as T for terabytes or P for percent trigger the error because MySQL only recognizes k, M, G for numeric size units.
Misspelling valid suffixes (e.g., kk instead of k) or inserting spaces between the number and suffix can also cause the server to misread the value.
Version mismatches appear when a script written for 8.0.16+ uses suffixes that 8.0.13 does not yet support.
Correct the suffix to an accepted unit (k, M, G) or remove it entirely for plain numeric values.
Restarting is not required for session variables.
For variables that require server restart—such as innodb_buffer_pool_size—update my.cnf and reload the daemon.
Align automation scripts with the lowest MySQL version in your fleet to avoid incompatible suffixes.
During Docker container startup, the error stops mysqld. Edit the custom.cnf file, strip the suffix, and rebuild the image.
In interactive sessions, SET GLOBAL max_heap_table_size = '512T'; fails.
Change to 549755813888 or 512G.
Validate configuration files with mysqld --validate-config before deployment.
Use integer bytes in automation scripts to avoid ambiguity across versions.
Adopt Galaxy’s SQL linting to highlight unknown suffixes in real time within the editor.
Error 1231 - Variable 'xxx' can't be set to the value 'yyy' happens when the numeric value is outside permitted ranges.
Adjust the value.
Error 1193 - Unknown system variable 'zzz' indicates a misspelled variable name instead of a bad suffix.
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No. It applies to both GLOBAL and SESSION variables because the parser validates suffixes during assignment.
MySQL does not provide a flag to ignore suffixes. Use numeric values if you need full portability.
MySQL 8+ supports k or K, M, and G as multipliers for 1024, 1024^2, and 1024^3 respectively.
Galaxy flags invalid suffixes while you type and offers quick fixes, preventing faulty scripts from reaching production.
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