The DDL log, or metadata log, records metadata operations generated by data definition statements such as DROP TABLE and ALTER TABLE. MySQL uses this log to recover from crashes occurring in the middle of a metadata operation. When executing the statement DROP TABLE t1, t2, we need to ensure that both t1 and t2 are dropped, and that each table drop is complete. Another example of this type of SQL statement is ALTER TABLE t3 DROP PARTITION p2, where we must make certain that the partition is completely dropped and that its definition is removed from the list of partitions for table t3.

A record of metadata operations such as those just described are written to the file ddl_log.log, in the MySQL data directory. This is a binary file; it is not intended to be human-readable, and you should not attempt to modify its contents in any way.

ddl_log.log is not created until it is actually needed for recording metadata statements, and is removed following a successful start of mysqld. Thus, it is possible for this file not to be present on a MySQL server that is functioning in a completely normal manner.

Currently, ddl_log.log can hold up to 1048573 entries, equivalent to 4 GB in size. Once this limit is exceeded, you must rename or remove the file before it is possible to execute any additional DDL statements. This is a known issue which we are working to resolve (Bug #83708).

There are no user-configurable server options or variables associated with this file.