Title: WordPress Database Error @ Step 2
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# WordPress Database Error @ Step 2

 *  [mjsd1](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mjsd1/)
 * (@mjsd1)
 * [21 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-step-2/)
 * Here is a sample of the errors I get at step 2 of the installation process. Note,
   this is NOT the only error message I get… there are MANY of them!
 * Thanx in advance.
 * Second Step
    Now we’re going to create the database tables and fill them with
   some default data.
 * WordPress database error: [You have an error in your SQL syntax near ‘-inst_categories(
   cat_ID bigint(20) NOT NULL auto_increment, cat_name varch’ at line 1]
    CREATE
   TABLE wp_wp-inst_categories ( cat_ID bigint(20) NOT NULL auto_increment, cat_name
   varchar(55) NOT NULL default ”, category_nicename varchar(200) NOT NULL default”,
   category_description longtext NOT NULL, category_parent int(4) NOT NULL default‘
   0’, PRIMARY KEY (cat_ID), KEY category_nicename (category_nicename) )

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  [ColdForged](https://wordpress.org/support/users/coldforged/)
 * (@coldforged)
 * [21 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-step-2/#post-191592)
 * You can’t have dashes in your table prefix in wp-config.php, apparently. Old 
   MySQL version?
 *  [ColdForged](https://wordpress.org/support/users/coldforged/)
 * (@coldforged)
 * [21 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-step-2/#post-191595)
 * Hmm… I get the same error trying to create a table with dashes, though I can 
   correct it by putting the table name in backticks. That would require an update
   to the code. Any reason you _have_ to have the dash character?

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘WordPress Database Error @ Step 2’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 2 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [ColdForged](https://wordpress.org/support/users/coldforged/)
 * Last activity: [21 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-step-2/#post-191595)
 * Status: not resolved

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