What is the purpose of the ALTER TABLE statement in MySQL?

1 year ago
Liam
1 minute

In MySQL, the ALTER TABLE statement is used to modify the structure of an existing table. Specifically, it can be used to perform the following operations:

  1. Add a column: You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to add a new column to an existing table.
  2. Delete Column: You can delete a column in an existing table using the ALTER TABLE statement.
  3. Alter column: You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to modify the data type, default value, constraints, etc. of a column in a table.
  4. Change table name: You can modify the name of a table using the ALTER TABLE statement.
  5. “Add primary keys, foreign keys, or indexes: ALTER TABLE can also be used to add or remove primary keys, foreign keys, and indexes.”
  6. Change the storage engine of a table: Using the ALTER TABLE statement, you can modify the storage engine of a table.
  7. Rename columns: You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to rename columns in a table.

In conclusion, the ALTER TABLE statement can assist you in making various structural changes to an existing table to meet different needs and business logic.

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