diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/database.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/database.py
index 68b294a436b..3c8bdaab80f 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/database.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/database.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class UnclosedQuoteError(SQLParseError):
 # allowed to specifiy that identifier.  For example, a database column can be
 # specified by up to 4 levels: database.schema.table.column
 _PG_IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL = dict(database=1, schema=2, table=3, column=4, role=1)
-_MYSQL_IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL = dict(database=1, table=2, column=3, role=1)
+_MYSQL_IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL = dict(database=1, table=2, column=3, role=1, vars=1)
 
 def _find_end_quote(identifier, quote_char='"'):
     accumulate = 0
@@ -116,5 +116,5 @@ def pg_quote_identifier(identifier, id_type):
 def mysql_quote_identifier(identifier, id_type):
     identifier_fragments = _identifier_parse(identifier, quote_char='`')
     if len(identifier_fragments) > _MYSQL_IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL[id_type]:
-        raise SQLParseError('MySQL does not support %s with more than %i dots' % (id_type, _IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL[id_type]))
+        raise SQLParseError('MySQL does not support %s with more than %i dots' % (id_type, _MYSQL_IDENTIFIER_TO_DOT_LEVEL[id_type]))
     return '.'.join(identifier_fragments)