intro
MySQL is a powerful beast — so powerful, that most database administrators can easily drown in the functionality available for them to use. Such functionality includes things like data types, characters and collations, indexes, partitions, and many other things. With that said, MySQL also has a couple of SQL statements you can make use of if you’re a DBA, too: one of those SQL statements is the RENAME COLUMN statement. Learn how it works in this blog.
Some of us may be so busy in our development work that we forget how to do simple things or what simple things mean. We bet that many of you have asked yourself: “Do I add an index with an ADD INDEX or with ALTER”? (hint: you can use both), “How do I rename a database/table?” or “How do I rename a column?” Well, this is where the MySQL RENAME COLUMN statement comes in!
Read on and understand the answer to the last question — once you do, knowing the answer to similar questions will become a piece of cake.
Renaming a Column in MySQL
So, how do you rename things in MySQL? You have a couple of options you can employ. The first option will likely necessitate you use an SQL client of your choice and head over to the Columns section of a specific table, like so:
Then right-clicking on the specific column you want to rename and rename it that way:
The problem is that not all SQL clients will have such an option; as you can see, in one of the most highly-rated SQL clients on the market — DbVisualizer — it simply doesn’t exist. What do you do now?
The answer is quite simple: you need to come back to the SQL editor side of the tool and execute SQL queries: those SQL queries will have something to do with the RENAME COLUMN MySQL command.
The MySQL RENAME COLUMN statement can have two forms. It can look like this:
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ALTER TABLE [your_table] RENAME COLUMN [your_column] TO [new_column_name];
Alternatively, it can also look like this:
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ALTER TABLE [table_name] CHANGE [old_column_name] [new_column_name] [datatype];
These two commands are sisters (or brothers — however, you may want to call them), and work similarly to one another, the difference being that when using CHANGE you will be required to specify the datatype and its length (see example above) — RENAME COLUMN won’t accept any other parameters than the column name.
Things You Should Know
MySQL RENAME COLUMN isn’t walking alone and there are a couple of things you should be aware of if you find yourself using either RENAME COLUMN or its equivalent, the ALTER TABLE CHANGE query.
The last thing you should know is that if you run a RENAME COLUMN MySQL query in your database management system, you may make use of other, similar queries as well. If you make use of other similar SQL queries, you certainly need a tool that makes your database sing. DbVisualizer is that tool — it didn’t become the highest-rated SQL client on the market because of nothing.
DbVisualizer is capable of providing you with a visual SQL query builder allowing you to craft database queries with ease, it can help you to drag-and-drop the tables you want to query, it will help you create ERD schemas, and much, much more.
The best part? DbVisualizer is free to try out for 21 days. What are you waiting for? Grab your free trial now and explore DbVisualizer for yourself!
Summary
The MySQL RENAME COLUMN query is nothing revolutionary, but it can become something that you’re searching for and you’re never able to find if you’re overly focused on the details of what’s happening in your specific database. Many SQL clients and editors such as DbVisualizer and phpMyAdmin will provide you with the ability to view and/or rename columns yourself, but they will do that by running a query. Know that query — it’s MySQL RENAME COLUMN.
Granted, the query can be swapped to ALTER TABLE ... CHANGE if you need to specify a data type together with changing the column, and RENAME COLUMN won’t necessitate that — but the way those two queries work is the same.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this blog and will explore other blog posts by visiting TheTable — do that, and until next time!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the MySQL RENAME COLUMN SQL query do?
The MySQL RENAME COLUMN query renames a column. It does have a brother — the ALTER TABLE ... CHANGE command — but that one necessitates changes to the data type as well. RENAME COLUMN is easier to use and doesn’t necessitate you specify a data type after you change the name of a column.
Where can I learn more about MySQL and other DBMSs?
Learn more about MySQL and other database management systems by following our blog over at TheTable or by watching video tutorials on the YouTube channel Database Dive. Either approach is good.
Why should I use DbVisualizer?
Consider using DbVisualizer because it’s the highest-rated SQL client on the market, it’s used by well-known companies such as Tesla and NASA, and it also provides a free 21-day trial of the software you can try out for yourself by clicking here.
