MySQL Error 1215: Cannot add foreign key constraint

foreign-keysMySQL

I am trying to forward engineer my new schema onto my database server, but I can't figure out why I am getting this error.

I've tried to search for the answer here, but everything I've found has said to either set the database engine to InnoDB or to make sure the keys I'm trying to use as a foreign key are primary keys in their own tables. I have done both of these things, if I'm not mistaken. What else can I do?

Executing SQL script in server

ERROR: Error 1215: Cannot add foreign key constraint

-- -----------------------------------------------------
-- Table `Alternative_Pathways`.`Clients_has_Staff`
-- -----------------------------------------------------

CREATE  TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `Alternative_Pathways`.`Clients_has_Staff` (
  `Clients_Case_Number` INT NOT NULL ,
  `Staff_Emp_ID` INT NOT NULL ,
  PRIMARY KEY (`Clients_Case_Number`, `Staff_Emp_ID`) ,
  INDEX `fk_Clients_has_Staff_Staff1_idx` (`Staff_Emp_ID` ASC) ,
  INDEX `fk_Clients_has_Staff_Clients_idx` (`Clients_Case_Number` ASC) ,
  CONSTRAINT `fk_Clients_has_Staff_Clients`
    FOREIGN KEY (`Clients_Case_Number` )
    REFERENCES `Alternative_Pathways`.`Clients` (`Case_Number` )
    ON DELETE NO ACTION
    ON UPDATE NO ACTION,
  CONSTRAINT `fk_Clients_has_Staff_Staff1`
    FOREIGN KEY (`Staff_Emp_ID` )
    REFERENCES `Alternative_Pathways`.`Staff` (`Emp_ID` )
    ON DELETE NO ACTION
    ON UPDATE NO ACTION)
ENGINE = InnoDB

SQL script execution finished: statements: 7 succeeded, 1 failed

Here is the SQL for the parent tables.

CREATE  TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `Alternative_Pathways`.`Clients` (
  `Case_Number` INT NOT NULL ,
  `First_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  `Middle_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  `Last_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  `Address` CHAR(50) NULL ,
  `Phone_Number` INT(10) NULL ,
  PRIMARY KEY (`Case_Number`) )
ENGINE = InnoDB

CREATE  TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `Alternative_Pathways`.`Staff` (
  `Emp_ID` INT NOT NULL ,
  `First_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  `Middle_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  `Last_Name` CHAR(10) NULL ,
  PRIMARY KEY (`Emp_ID`) )
ENGINE = InnoDB

Best Answer

I'm guessing that Clients.Case_Number and/or Staff.Emp_ID are not exactly the same data type as Clients_has_Staff.Clients_Case_Number and Clients_has_Staff.Staff_Emp_ID.

Perhaps the columns in the parent tables are INT UNSIGNED?

They need to be exactly the same data type in both tables.

Related Solutions

Mysql – Cannot add or update a child row: a foreign key constraint fails

You're getting this error because you're trying to add/update a row to table2 that does not have a valid value for the UserID field based on the values currently stored in table1. If you post some more code I can help you diagnose the specific cause.

Mysql – Foreign key constraints: When to use ON UPDATE and ON DELETE

Do not hesitate to put constraints on the database. You'll be sure to have a consistent database, and that's one of the good reasons to use a database. Especially if you have several applications requesting it (or just one application but with a direct mode and a batch mode using different sources).

With MySQL you do not have advanced constraints like you would have in postgreSQL but at least the foreign key constraints are quite advanced.

We'll take an example, a company table with a user table containing people from theses company

CREATE TABLE COMPANY (
     company_id INT NOT NULL,
     company_name VARCHAR(50),
     PRIMARY KEY (company_id)
) ENGINE=INNODB;

CREATE TABLE USER (
     user_id INT, 
     user_name VARCHAR(50), 
     company_id INT,
     INDEX company_id_idx (company_id),
     FOREIGN KEY (company_id) REFERENCES COMPANY (company_id) ON...
) ENGINE=INNODB;

Let's look at the ON UPDATE clause:

ON UPDATE RESTRICT : the default : if you try to update a company_id in table COMPANY the engine will reject the operation if one USER at least links on this company.
ON UPDATE NO ACTION : same as RESTRICT.
ON UPDATE CASCADE : the best one usually : if you update a company_id in a row of table COMPANY the engine will update it accordingly on all USER rows referencing this COMPANY (but no triggers activated on USER table, warning). The engine will track the changes for you, it's good.
ON UPDATE SET NULL : if you update a company_id in a row of table COMPANY the engine will set related USERs company_id to NULL (should be available in USER company_id field). I cannot see any interesting thing to do with that on an update, but I may be wrong.

And now on the ON DELETE side:

ON DELETE RESTRICT : the default : if you try to delete a company_id Id in table COMPANY the engine will reject the operation if one USER at least links on this company, can save your life.
ON DELETE NO ACTION : same as RESTRICT
ON DELETE CASCADE : dangerous : if you delete a company row in table COMPANY the engine will delete as well the related USERs. This is dangerous but can be used to make automatic cleanups on secondary tables (so it can be something you want, but quite certainly not for a COMPANY<->USER example)
ON DELETE SET NULL : handful : if you delete a COMPANY row the related USERs will automatically have the relationship to NULL. If Null is your value for users with no company this can be a good behavior, for example maybe you need to keep the users in your application, as authors of some content, but removing the company is not a problem for you.

usually my default is: ON DELETE RESTRICT ON UPDATE CASCADE. with some ON DELETE CASCADE for track tables (logs--not all logs--, things like that) and ON DELETE SET NULL when the master table is a 'simple attribute' for the table containing the foreign key, like a JOB table for the USER table.

Edit

It's been a long time since I wrote that. Now I think I should add one important warning. MySQL has one big documented limitation with cascades. Cascades are not firing triggers. So if you were over confident enough in that engine to use triggers you should avoid cascades constraints.

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/triggers.html

MySQL triggers activate only for changes made to tables by SQL statements. They do not activate for changes in views, nor by changes to tables made by APIs that do not transmit SQL statements to the MySQL Server

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/stored-program-restrictions.html#stored-routines-trigger-restrictions

==> See below the last edit, things are moving on this domain

Triggers are not activated by foreign key actions.

And I do not think this will get fixed one day. Foreign key constraints are managed by the InnoDb storage and Triggers are managed by the MySQL SQL engine. Both are separated. Innodb is the only storage with constraint management, maybe they'll add triggers directly in the storage engine one day, maybe not.

But I have my own opinion on which element you should choose between the poor trigger implementation and the very useful foreign keys constraints support. And once you'll get used to database consistency you'll love PostgreSQL.

12/2017-Updating this Edit about MySQL:

as stated by @IstiaqueAhmed in the comments, the situation has changed on this subject. So follow the link and check the real up-to-date situation (which may change again in the future).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Mysql – Cannot add or update a child row: a foreign key constraint fails

Mysql – Foreign key constraints: When to use ON UPDATE and ON DELETE

12/2017-Updating this Edit about MySQL:

Related Topic