INFORMATION_SCHEMA

INFORMATION_SCHEMA is a SQL statement in the Administration category. ANSI-standard system views that provide metadata about database objects (tables, columns, indexes, etc.). The syntax is SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES [WHERE conditions];. It returns metadata result set. A typical example: SELECT TABLE_NAME, TABLE_ROWS, CREATE_TIME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = 'my_company'; -- Lists all tables with row counts and creation times SELECT COLUMN_NAME, DATA_TYPE, IS_NULLABLE FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'employees'; A close relative is CREATE USER, which creates a new database user account. A close relative is GRANT, which grants specific privileges (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, ALL) to a user on a database/table. A close relative is REVOKE, which removes previously granted privileges from a user. More about this category: Database administration — CREATE DATABASE, GRANT, REVOKE, SHOW, DESCRIBE. Related Administration entries: CREATE USER, GRANT, REVOKE, SHOW TABLES, DESCRIBE / DESC, SHOW INDEX, SHOW CREATE TABLE, SHOW DATABASES.