Why am I getting MySQL Error 1115: Unknown Character Set \'utf8mb4\' during database restore?

MySQL Error 1115: Unknown Character Set 'utf8mb4'

When attempting to restore a MySQL dump, users may encounter the error "ERROR 1115 (42000): Unknown character set: 'utf8mb4'." This error occurs when the version of MySQL being used does not support the character set specified in the dump file.

In this particular case, the dump file contains lines such as:

/*!50003 SET character_set_client  = utf8mb4 */ ;
/*!50003 SET character_set_results = utf8mb4 */ ;
/*!50003 SET collation_connection  = utf8mb4_general_ci */ ;

These lines instruct MySQL to set the character set to 'utf8mb4' for the current session. However, the version of MySQL being used (5.1.69) does not support 'utf8mb4'.

To resolve this error, the following steps are recommended:

1. Upgrade MySQL: The most straightforward solution is to upgrade MySQL to a version that supports the 'utf8mb4' character set, such as 5.5.3 or later.
2. Use a Different Character Set: If upgrading MySQL is not feasible, you can try to restore the dump file using a different character set. 'utf8' is a subset of 'utf8mb4' and may be compatible with all the data in the dump file.
3. Modify the Dump File: Edit the dump file and replace all references to 'utf8mb4' with 'utf8'. This may work, but it can be a risky operation, as it can lead to data loss or corruption if the data contains characters that are not supported by 'utf8'.

It is important to note that while 'utf8mb4' is a superset of 'utf8', it may not be able to store all data that is valid in 'utf8'. Therefore, it is essential to consider the potential risks and implications before modifying the character set of a database.

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