A.7.5 Can I add to or otherwise modify the tables found in the INFORMATION_SCHEMA  database? .... 5242 

A.7.1. Where can I find documentation for the MySQL INFORMATION_SCHEMA  database? 

A.7.2. Is there a discussion forum for INFORMATION_SCHEMA ? 

See Chapter 26, INFORMATION_SCHEMA Tables 

See https://forums.mysql.com/list.php?101. 

A.7.3. Where can I find the ANSI SQL 2003 specification for INFORMATION_SCHEMA ? 

Unfortunately, the official specifications are not freely available. (ANSI makes them available for purchase.) However, there are books available, such as SQL-99 Complete, Really  by Peter Gulutzan and Trudy Pelzer, that provide a comprehensive overview of the standard, including INFORMATION_SCHEMA . 

A.7.4. What is the difference between the Oracle Data Dictionary and MySQL INFORMATION_SCHEMA ? 

Both Oracle and MySQL provide metadata in tables. However, Oracle and MySQL use different table names and column names. The MySQL implementation is more similar to those found in DB2 and SQL Server, which also support INFORMATION_SCHEMA  as defined in the SQL standard. 

A.7.5. Can I add to or otherwise modify the tables found in the INFORMATION_SCHEMA  database? 

No. Since applications may rely on a certain standard structure, this should not be modified. For this reason, we cannot support bugs or other issues which result from modifying INFORMATION_SCHEMA  tables or data . 

## A.8 MySQL 8.0 FAQ: Migration 

A.8.1 Where can I find information on how to migrate from MySQL 5.7 to MySQL 8.0? ..................... 5242 

A.8.2 How has storage engine (table type) support changed in MySQL 8.0 from previous versions? ... 5242 

A.8.1. Where can I find information on how to migrate from MySQL 5.7 to MySQL 8.0? 

For detailed upgrade information, see Section 2.11, “Upgrading MySQL” . Do not skip a major version when upgrading, but rather complete the process in steps, upgrading from one major version to the next in each step. This may seem more complicated, but ultimately saves time and trouble. If you encounter problems during the upgrade, their origin is easier to identify, either by you or, if you have a MySQL Enterprise subscription, by MySQL support. 

A.8.2. How has storage engine (table type) support changed in MySQL 8.0 from previous versions? 

Storage engine support has changed as follows: 

•Support for ISAM  tables was removed in MySQL 5.0 and you should now use the MyISAM  storage engine in place of ISAM . To convert a table tblname  from ISAM  to MyISAM , simply issue a statement such as this one: 

ALTER TABLE tblname  ENGINE=MYISAM; 

•Internal RAID  for MyISAM  tables was also removed in MySQL 5.0. This was formerly used to allow large tables in file systems that did not support file sizes greater than 2GB. All modern file systems allow for larger tables; in addition, there are now other solutions such as MERGE  tables and views. 

•The VARCHAR  column type now retains trailing spaces in all storage engines. 

• MEMORY  tables (formerly known as HEAP  tables) can also contain VARCHAR  columns. 

