Maybe the biggest new feature in MySQL 8 is the new transaction data dictionary that improves the consistency of schema objects among other things. To further protect the data in the data dictionary, the data dictionary tables are hidden and their content only exposed through the Information Schema. (One exception is when you use the debug binary, then it is possible to get direct access to the data dictionary tables. This is not recommended at all on production systems!)
A side effect of the data dictionary tables being hidden is that those that have had a habit of manipulating the tables directly in MySQL 5.7 and earlier (I will not recommend doing that) will no longer be able to do so. Examples of manipulating the tables include …
[Read more]