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20.2.2 Performance Schema Startup and Runtime Configuration »
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20.2.1. Performance Schema Build Configuration

For Performance Schema to be available, it must be configured into the MySQL server at build time. Binary MySQL distributions provided by Oracle Corporation are configured to support Performance Schema. If you use a binary MySQL distribution from another provider, check with the provider whether the distribution has been appropriately configured.

If you build MySQL from a source distribution, enable Performance Schema by running configure with one of the following options:

  • The --with-perfschema or --with-plugins=perfschema option enables Performance Schema.

  • The --with-plugins=max option enables a collection of features, including Performance Schema. If you want finer control, use one of the other options.

If you specify none of the preceding options, Performance Schema is included by default. If you normally specify --with-plugins to name plugins to build, you can add perfschema or max to the list of names. For example: 

shell> ./configure --with-plugins=innobase,perfschema

Configuring MySQL with the --without-perfschema option prevents inclusion of Performance Schema, so if you want it included, do not use this option.

If you install MySQL over a previous installation that was configured without Performance Schema, run mysql_upgrade after starting the server to create the performance_schema database, and then restart the server.

To verify whether a server was built with Performance Schema support, check its help output. If Performance Schema is available, the output will mention several variables with names that begin with performance_schema: 

shell> mysqld --verbose --help
...
  --performance_schema
                      Enable the performance schema.
  --performance_schema_events_waits_history_long_size=#
                      Number of rows in EVENTS_WAITS_HISTORY_LONG.
...

You can also connect to the server and look for a line that names the PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA storage engine in the output from SHOW ENGINES: 

mysql> SHOW ENGINES\G
...
      Engine: PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA
     Support: YES
     Comment: Performance Schema
Transactions: NO
          XA: NO
  Savepoints: NO
...

If Performance Schema was not configured into the server at build time, no row for PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA will appear in the output from SHOW ENGINES. You might see performance_schema listed in the output from SHOW DATABASES, but it will have no tables and you will not be able to use it.

A line for PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA in the SHOW ENGINES output means that Performance Schema is available, not that it is enabled. To enable it, you must do so at server startup, as described in the next section.