GnuCash Error and Solution (workaround)

I beat my head against a GnuCash error for hours and finally found a workaround. First, the error messages (italics are mine, of course):

This database is from an older version of GnuCash. Select OK to upgrade it to the current version, Cancel to mark it read-only.

The server at URL mysql://gnucash@localhost/gnucash experienced an error or encountered bad or corrupt data.

Re-saving user data... [This is what GnuCash says in the lower-right.]

[The /tmp/gnucash.trace shows:]

CRIT <gnc.backend.dbi> [mysql_error_fn()] DBI error: 1064: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1

Workaround steps:

"Save As" your accounts in the "xml" "data format" (assuming you still have a working version; note that the file contents look nothing like XML)
Backup the ~/.gnucash directory (in Linux)
Delete the ~/.gnucash directory (otherwise you may confuse GnuC)
Make sure the database does NOT exist
Do NOT let GnuC create the database the first time around (not sure it matters, but this is what I did)
Run GnuCash
File->Open the "XML" file. (You may need to delete the ...xml.LCK file, first)
Now create the database
File->Save As to the database

If something goes wrong, you may have to loop through all of it again--deleting the .gnucash directory, get rid of the database, etc.

Versions involved:

I started with version 2.3.10 (dated 2010-02-17). I don't know if it causes this error or not, because my goal was to move to another machine with a higher version.
I first had problems with version 2.4.2.
I upgraded to 2.4.7 (2011-10-04), but I had the same problem.

Page created 2011/10/04