mysql - Error Code: 1822. Failed to add the foreign key constaint. Missing index for constraint

Question

I found some threads about the error. But all the solutions doesn't work for me.

I created 2 tables a user table and one for articles. Now I want to store the user that created the article and the one who is the last modifier.

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `testDb`.`users` (
  `id` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `nickname` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `first_name` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `last_name` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `e_mail` VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  `activated` TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
  `birth_date` DATE NULL,
  `locked` TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
  `locked_date_time` DATETIME NULL,
  `street` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `street_number` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `city` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `postal_code` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `country` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `phone` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  UNIQUE INDEX `user_id_UNIQUE` (`id` ASC)
)
ENGINE = InnoDB
AUTO_INCREMENT = 1;


CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `testDb`.`articles` (
  `id` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `name` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `description` VARCHAR(255) NULL,
  `create_user` INT ZEROFILL NOT NULL,
  `create_date_time` DATETIME NULL,
  `last_modifie_user` INT ZEROFILL NOT NULL,
  `last_modifie_date_time` DATETIME NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  UNIQUE INDEX `article_id_UNIQUE` (`id` ASC),
  INDEX `fk_articles_users1_idx` (`create_user` ASC),
  INDEX `fk_articles_users2_idx` (`last_modifie_user` ASC)
)
ENGINE = InnoDB
AUTO_INCREMENT = 1;


ALTER TABLE `testDb`.`articles`
  ADD CONSTRAINT `fk_articles_users1`
    FOREIGN KEY (`create_user`)
    REFERENCES `testDb`.`users` (`id`)
    ON DELETE NO ACTION
    ON UPDATE NO ACTION,
  ADD CONSTRAINT `fk_articles_users2`
    FOREIGN KEY (`last_modifie_user`)
    REFERENCES `testDb`.`users` (`id`)
    ON DELETE NO ACTION
    ON UPDATE NO ACTION;

I get the following error, but I didn't understand why I should have a index for that.

Error Code: 1822. Failed to add the foreign key constaint. Missing index for constraint 'fk_articles_users1' in the referenced table 'users'

I actived

SHOW ENGINE innodb STATUS;

but this doesn't shows any erros.

Answer 1

create_user INT UNSIGNED ZEROFILL cannot reference id INT, because these count as different data types for purposes of foreign key reference. Make them the same data type.

The only data type difference that is permitted between columns in a foreign key relationship is length of a varchar. For example, VARCHAR(10) can reference VARCHAR(20) or vice-versa.

Any other difference in data type, size, or character set is incompatible for referential integrity.

Even having ZEROFILL on one column but not the other makes the data types incompatible.