# MySQL does not like hyphens in database names

**URL:** <https://forum.codewithmosh.com/t/mysql-does-not-like-hyphens-in-database-names/23912>\
**Category:** SQL\
**Created:** [November 30, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://forum.codewithmosh.com/t/mysql-does-not-like-hyphens-in-database-names/23912 "2023-11-30T16:05:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![seefer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.codewithmosh.com/seefer/32/7258_2.png) [@seefer](https://forum.codewithmosh.com/u/seefer)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://forum.codewithmosh.com/t/mysql-does-not-like-hyphens-in-database-names/23912/1 "2023-11-30T16:05:34Z")

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I was having issues using the mysql CLI with databases with hyphens in the name such as the `issue-tracker` one that Mosh used. You have to wrap any database names in backticks apparently or, as I chose to do, use `_` instead of `-` for database names.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![seefer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.codewithmosh.com/seefer/32/7258_2.png) [@seefer](https://forum.codewithmosh.com/u/seefer)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2023, 4:35pm UTC](https://forum.codewithmosh.com/t/mysql-does-not-like-hyphens-in-database-names/23912/2 "2023-11-30T16:35:24Z")

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Using MySQL Workbench and the mysql CLI I can see my Prisma migration schema and my `issue_tracker` database name. However, when I try using DataGrip, it connects to MySQL but it cannot see the Prisma migration schema. Have a feeling this may be due to my running VS Code in a WSL Ubuntu distro and DataGrip can’t handle it.

Beginning to think I’ll be better off with PostgreSQL instead of MySQL as I’ve had no issues under a WSL Linux dev environment with that database. MySQL has thrown too many pain-points my way from installing it to my WSL Ubuntu distro, to getting it to use a password string instead of not asking me for a password during install and defaulting to a Unix socket connection, then hyphens in database names being problematic and now third-party tools like DataGrip failing to see Prisma migrations.

Anyone else out there using Windows, WSL and Ubuntu for the dev environment having these annoying issues?