Unknown table
Error 1051 (SQLSTATE 42S02) is raised by DROP TABLE when the specified table does not exist. Unlike error 1146 which is raised by DML queries, 1051 is specifically from DROP TABLE.
- 1Attempting to DROP TABLE a table that was already dropped
- 2Running a rollback migration out of order
- 3Typo in the table name
DROP TABLE is called on a non-existent table.
DROP TABLE nonexistent_table;
expected output
ERROR 1051 (42S02): Unknown table 'mydb.nonexistent_table'
Fix
Use IF EXISTS
WHEN In idempotent down-migrations.
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS nonexistent_table;
Why this works
IF EXISTS causes DROP TABLE to silently succeed (with a Note warning) if the table does not exist, making the drop idempotent.
✕ Ignore the error in CI/CD pipelines without investigation
If an expected table is missing it may indicate that a previous migration partially failed, leaving the schema in an inconsistent state.
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS is available in all supported versions.
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