10.0.20-MariaDB-3-log: Unknown column 'authentication_string'.

SELECT `user`, `host`, `authentication_string` FROM `mysql`.`user`;
/* SQL Error (1054): Unknown column 'authentication_string' in 'field list' */

HeidiSQL 9.3.0.5013

SHOW columns FROM `mysql`.`user`;

|| *Field* || *Type* || *Null* || *Key* || *Default* || *Extra* ||
|| Host || char(60) || NO || PRI || || ||
|| User || char(16) || NO || PRI || || ||
|| Password || char(41) || NO || || || ||
|| Select_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Insert_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Update_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Delete_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Drop_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Reload_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Shutdown_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Process_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| File_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Grant_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| References_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Index_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Alter_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Show_db_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Super_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_tmp_table_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Lock_tables_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Execute_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Repl_slave_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Repl_client_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_view_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Show_view_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_routine_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Alter_routine_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_user_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Event_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Trigger_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| Create_tablespace_priv || enum('N','Y') || NO || || N || ||
|| ssl_type || enum('','ANY','X509','SPECIFIED') || NO || || || ||
|| ssl_cipher || blob || NO || || || ||
|| x509_issuer || blob || NO || || || ||
|| x509_subject || blob || NO || || || ||
|| max_questions || int(11) unsigned || NO || || 0 || ||
|| max_updates || int(11) unsigned || NO || || 0 || ||
|| max_connections || int(11) unsigned || NO || || 0 || ||
|| max_user_connections || int(11) || NO || || 0 || ||
|| plugin || char(64) || NO || || || ||
|| auth_string || text || NO || || || ||

That authentication_string column was introduced in MySQL 5.7.6, and MariaDB 5.5. You are running MariaDB 10.0.20 without that column. In most cases that means you did not update your privileges tables after upgrading MariaDB from an old version. And where did you get that auth_string column from? Is that a typo or...?

The auth_string comes as Heidi error when I click 'Manage users' on toolbar.
I have latest Debian with MariaDB from packages. I run mysql_upgrade but it didn't help.

I meant: where did you get that auth_string column from? I meant the very last column you posted above. I cannot find that "auth_string" column documented anywhere, only "authentication_string".

It is in the `user` table. I have no idea why it was named differently.

I just renamed it to the auth_string manually. User manager works fine.

Thanks for the update.

Hope that works permanently for you, and that *auth_string* is not expected by something.

If more people report such different named column names in the user table, I guess I should analyze the column names of mysql.user before firing that

SELECT .. FROM mysql.user

, to ensure we don't run into an SQL error. But what would it help if you still get an error saying "Column xyz not present - cannot manage user accounts" or something similar.