SHOW CREATE TABLE

Syntax

SHOW CREATE TABLE tbl_name

Description

Shows the CREATE TABLE statement that created the given table. The statement requires the SELECT privilege for the table. This statement also works with views and SEQUENCE.

SHOW CREATE TABLE quotes table and column names according to the value of the sql_quote_show_create server system variable.

Invalid table options, column options and index options are normally commented out (note, that it is possible to create a table with invalid options, by altering a table of a different engine, where these options were valid). To have them uncommented, enable the IGNORE_BAD_TABLE_OPTIONS SQL_MODE. Remember that replaying a CREATE TABLE statement with uncommented invalid options will fail with an error, unless the IGNORE_BAD_TABLE_OPTIONS SQL_MODE is in effect.

Note that SHOW CREATE TABLE is not meant to provide metadata about a table. It provides information about how the table was declared, but the real table structure could differ a bit. For example, if an index has been declared as HASH, the CREATE TABLE statement returned by SHOW CREATE TABLE will declare that index as HASH; however, it is possible that the index is in fact a BTREE, because the storage engine does not support HASH.

Examples

SHOW CREATE TABLE t\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: t
Create Table: CREATE TABLE `t` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `s` char(60) DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1

With sql_quote_show_create off:

SHOW CREATE TABLE t\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: t
Create Table: CREATE TABLE t (
  id int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  s char(60) DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (id)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1

Unquoted numeric DEFAULTs, from MariaDB 10.2.2:

CREATE TABLE td (link TINYINT DEFAULT 1);

SHOW CREATE TABLE td\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: td
Create Table: CREATE TABLE `td` (
  `link` tinyint(4) DEFAULT 1
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1

Quoted numeric DEFAULTs, until MariaDB 10.2.1:

CREATE TABLE td (link TINYINT DEFAULT 1);

SHOW CREATE TABLE td\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: td
Create Table: CREATE TABLE `td` (
  `link` tinyint(4) DEFAULT '1'
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1

SQL_MODE impacting the output:

SELECT @@sql_mode;
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| @@sql_mode                                                                                |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| STRICT_TRANS_TABLES,ERROR_FOR_DIVISION_BY_ZERO,NO_AUTO_CREATE_USER,NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

CREATE TABLE `t1` (
       `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
       `msg` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
       PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
     ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1
;

SHOW CREATE TABLE t1\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: t1
Create Table: CREATE TABLE `t1` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `msg` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1

SET SQL_MODE=ORACLE;

SHOW CREATE TABLE t1\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: t1
Create Table: CREATE TABLE "t1" (
  "id" int(11) NOT NULL,
  "msg" varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY ("id")

See Also

• SHOW CREATE SEQUENCE
• SHOW CREATE VIEW