3146
MySQLERRORNotableSpatialHIGH confidence

ST_Difference function not implemented for this geometry type

Production Risk

Low — query fails at runtime.

What this means

The ST_Difference() function does not support the supplied geometry type combination.

Why it happens
  1. 1Calling ST_Difference() with an unsupported geometry type such as GeometryCollection.
How to reproduce
trigger — this will error
trigger — this will error
SELECT ST_Difference(ST_GeomFromText('GEOMETRYCOLLECTION EMPTY'), ST_GeomFromText('POINT(0 0)'));

expected output

ERROR 3146 (HY000): st_difference not implemented for 'GeometryCollection'.

Fix

Use POLYGON or MULTIPOLYGON geometries

Use POLYGON or MULTIPOLYGON geometries
SELECT ST_Difference(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((0 0,0 10,10 10,10 0,0 0))'), ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((2 2,2 5,5 5,5 2,2 2))'));

Why this works

ST_Difference is implemented for standard polygon types.

What not to do

Sources
Official documentation ↗

MySQL 8.0 — 3146 ER_SPATIAL_DIFFERENCE_NOT_IMPLEMENTED

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