intro
This blog will walk you through the MySQL CREATE TABLE statement that is used to create tables. Let’s learn everything about it!
If you’ve ever used MySQL, chances are that you’ve created tables within the RDBMS. But do you know how exactly the MySQL CREATE TABLE statement works? Find that out here!
What Is the MySQL CREATE TABLE Statement?
To begin with, the CREATE TABLE statement helps us create tables within MySQL. In its most basic form, the MySQL CREATE TABLE statement looks like so:
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CREATE TABLE `table_name` (
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`column_1` DATATYPE(length) [DEFAULT] [NOT NULL],
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`column_2` DATATYPE(length) [DEFAULT] [NOT NULL],
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-- ...
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);
In other words, CREATE TABLE allows us to create a table within MySQL that bears a structure of our liking. That’s not to say that these structures don’t have limits (see below) — everything’s done within boundaries — but the structure of our table defines the structure of SQL queries that insert, modify, or delete data from that table, too.
In other words, once we create a table with the create table statement, we can act on that table however our use case allows.
Possible actions may include modifying (updating) data, selecting a specific amount of rows based on our use case (that’s especially true if our use case is a search engine), inserting data into a table (if we elect to use such an approach, we have to bear in mind that we need to specify the columns we are inserting data into if our insert statement does not insert data into all of them), or deleting data.
Limits of the MySQL CREATE TABLE Statement
With that being said, there are numerous boundaries for the CREATE TABLE statement in MySQL, too. These are as follows:
With that being said, there are numerous intricacies surrounding the MySQL CREATE TABLE statement, too: did you know that if you issue a CREATE TABLE a LIKE b then a table a bearing the same structure as the table b will be created? Cool, right? This can be very useful when you want to copy the structure of tables before making a quick backup of the data using something like INSERT INTO a SELECT * FROM b; — keep that in mind.
Summary
The MySQL CREATE TABLE statement is an SQL statement that lets us build a table in MySQL before acting on the data inside of that table — data in that table can then be inserted, updated, deleted, or read (selected.)
To learn more about SQL statements and MySQL as a whole, consider reading books like Hacking MySQL: Breaking, Optimizing, and Securing MySQL for Your Use Case, and until next time.
FAQ
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Consider reading the “Hacking MySQL: Breaking, Optimizing, and Securing MySQL” book because it will build easy to understand mental models, it is easy to read, and perhaps most importantly — it will let you learn why, how, and when your MySQL database instances might be faltering and equip you with the necessary tools to fix these problems.
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