I received this error today in phpMyAdmin,

1146 - Table 'phpmyadmin.pma__tracking' doesn't exist

nginx/1.6.2 | Database client version: libmysql - 5.5.41-MariaDB | PHP extension: mysqli

It's rendered it inaccessible as whenever I try to create the table using SQL query i get that same error, #1146 - Table 'phpmyadmin.pma__tracking' doesn't exist.

I can't select a database or do anything in phpMyAdmin, is there a way to delete the tables manually or a workaround?

Using any SQL i.e DROP DATABASE results in, #1146 - Table 'phpmyadmin.pma__tracking' doesn't exist.

Thanks

I just tested this with the phpMyAdmin I have installed and even when I deleted the table manually and got the error message, I could clear it up by logging out and logging back in again. So my first suggestion is to make sure your phpMyAdmin is rather up to date, as this feature has received some improvements in recent versions.

Next, I suggest you log out, clear your browser cache (at least as it relates to the phpMyAdmin page), and log in again.

You can either fix the table or disable that feature.

Repairing the phpMyAdmin Configuration Storage

Simply run the create_tables.sql file included in the examples or sql folder of your phpMyAdmin installation. You should edit the file if you wish to use a non-default database name or table names.

This could be more difficult if, for some reason, your phpMyAdmin still doesn't let you log in. In that case, you can either do it from the mysql command line client or disable the feature (see below) in order to gain access. That shouldn't be necessary, though; phpMyAdmin should automatically disable the feature on login if the table is missing.

Then edit config.inc.php and make sure the values assigned for each table correspond to the table names you just created. See http://docs.phpmyadmin.net/en/latest/config.html#cfg_Servers_pmadb for the list if you have any question about the default values.

Disabling the feature outright

Simply edit config.inc.php and remove the line $cfg['Servers'][$i]['tracking']. This will disable the feature entirely so that phpMyAdmin doesn't look for the tracking table.