Fix: Incorrect string value: '\xEF\xBF\xBD' for column when installing or upgrading Camino Market

The Error

When installing or upgrading the Camino Market module, you may encounter the following error message.

Module caminomarket reinstallation failed: Database Failure: Incorrect string value: '\xEF\xBF\xBD' for column 'option_symbol' at row 1 at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlStream.ReadPacket() at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.NativeDriver.GetResult(Int32& affectedRow, Int64& insertedId) at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.Driver.NextResult(Int32 statementId, Boolean force) at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlDataReader.NextResult() at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlCommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior behavior) at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() at CalzadaMedia.CaminoCMS.Application.Installation.DAL.db.RunNonQuery(String sqlQuery) in C:\Users\alexander.john\Desktop\Development\CaminoCMS\CaminoLibrary\Application\Installation\DAL\db.vb:line 85 File: ~/extensions/market/upgrade.sql

Cause

This error is caused by mismatched MySQL character sets within your MySQL database configuration. My default, Camino CMS utilises the UTF8 Character Set and the connection between Camino and the database server is configured to be UTF8.

The most common cause is that your database's default type is not UTF8.

Solution

Ensure that the default character set for both your Camino CMS database and the affected table is set to UTF8. Additionally, the character set for the affected row should also be set to utf8_general_ci.

If you are unsure or unable to how to make this change, we recommend that you contact your hosting provider who should be able to assist you.