How to define custom STATIC Global Variables/Constants in MySQL As a C# developer who did database work more than 7 years ago (with MSSQL) I am now developing a MySQL Database solution where Inline SQL is prohibited in code and the developers must go through Stored Procedures (Routines).

The core challenge is defining CONST/STATIC values on the database side in one place that all of my stored procedures can access. For example:

# == RECORD STATE   
SET GLOBAL RECORD_STATE_NORMAL = 0;
SET GLOBAL RECORD_STATE_ARCHIVED = 1;
SET GLOBAL RECORD_STATE_DELETED = 2;


These values will never change and the database stored procedures need to use them when writing certain record details. I also need to share these values with the developers as they may need to pass core static defined values to some of their stored procedure calls.

The core problem is MySQL apparently refuses to let me create and set my own global variables outside of the configuration file (which I don't want to do since we're deployed on AWS RDS). Any time I try to set a global variable I get an error 1193 "unknown system variable".

I need a way to define a long list of Global static values on the database side (simple numbers) that all of my stored procedures can reference.

How can I do this?
Since MySQL 5.5 it's not possible to set a global user-defined variable.

A work-around might be to create a stored procedure that would return what you need.

DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS HOUSE_SMALL_TYPE;
DELIMITER //
CREATE PROCEDURE HOUSE_SMALL_TYPE ()
BEGIN 
SELECT 0;
END//
DELIMITER ;


and then call it.

CALL HOUSE_SMALL_TYPE();
The DROP statement is required in order to be able to modify it.

Credit to shock_one on SO for the above answer

I was also thinking another option may be setting your constant values in a seperate table that all of your stored procedures could access.