MySQL 9.3 Release Notes
        
      Each stored trace is a string, which is extended (using
      realloc()) as optimization progresses by
      appending more data to it. The
      optimizer_trace_max_mem_size
      server system variable sets a limit on the total amount of memory
      used by all traces currently being stored. If this limit is
      reached, the current trace is not extended, which means the trace
      is incomplete; in this case the
      MISSING_BYTES_BEYOND_MAX_MEM_SIZE column shows
      the number of bytes missing from the trace.