MySQL - 1 : DDL COMMANDS
Notes by Bhoopendra Vishwakarma
What is SQL ?
➔SQL (Structured Query Language) is a
programming language used for managing and
manipulating data in relational databases.
➔It allows you to insert, update,retrieve, and
delete data in a database.
➔It is widely used for data management in many
applications, websites, and businesses. In simple
terms, SQL is used to communicate with and
control databases.
Types of SQL commands
DDL commands for Databases :
1. CREATE
2. DROP
For example 👍
CREATE: Used to create a new database or table.
DROP: Used to delete a database, table, or other objects.
DDL commands for Tables :
1. CREATE
2. TRUNCATE
3. DROP
DDL commands specifically for tables in SQL allow you to
create, modify, delete, or manipulate the structure of tables.
Here are the common DDL commands for tables:
CREATE TABLE: To create a new table.
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CREATE TABLE table_name (
column1 datatype constraint,
column2 datatype constraint,
column3 datatype constraint,
...
);
Example:
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CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
FirstName VARCHAR(50),
LastName VARCHAR(50),
HireDate DATE
);
1. ALTER TABLE: To modify an existing table (e.g., adding
or modifying columns).
Add a new column:
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ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD column_name datatype constraint;
Example:
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ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD Email VARCHAR(100);
Modify an existing column:
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ALTER TABLE table_name
MODIFY column_name new_datatype constraint;
Example:
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ALTER TABLE Employees
MODIFY Email VARCHAR(150);
Drop a column:
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ALTER TABLE table_name
DROP COLUMN column_name;
Example:
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ALTER TABLE Employees
DROP COLUMN Email;
DROP TABLE: To delete an entire table along with its data.
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DROP TABLE table_name;
Example:
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DROP TABLE Employees;
2. TRUNCATE TABLE: To remove all rows from a table,
but keep its structure.
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TRUNCATE TABLE table_name;
Example:
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TRUNCATE TABLE Employees;
RENAME TABLE: To rename an existing table.
sql
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RENAME TABLE old_table_name TO new_table_name;
3. Example:
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RENAME TABLE Employees TO Staff;
DATA INTEGRITY
➔ Data integrity in databases refers to the
accuracy, completeness, and consistencyof the
data stored in a database.
➔ It is a measure of the reliability and
trustworthiness of the data and ensures that
the data in a database is protected from
errors, corruption, or unauthorized changes.
➔ There are various methods used to ensure data
integrity, including:
Constraints:
➔ Constraints in databases are rules or
conditions that must be met for data to be
➔ inserted, updated, or deleted in a database
table. They are used to enforce the
➔ integrity of the data stored in a database and
to prevent data from becoming
inconsistent or corrupted.
Transactions: a sequence of database operations
that are treated as a single unit
of work.
Normalization: a design technique that minimizes
data redundancy and ensures
data consistency by organizing data into separate
tables.
CONSTRAINTS IN MYSQL
● Constraints in databases are rules or
conditions that must be met for data to be
inserted, updated, or deleted in a database
table.
● They are used to enforce the integrity of the
data stored in a database and to prevent data
from becoming inconsistent or corrupted.
1. NOT NULL
2. UNIQUE(combo)
-> Another way of creating constraint
3. PRIMARY KEY
4. AUTO INCREMENT
5. CHECK
6. DEFAULT
7. FOREIGN KEY
Referential Actions
1. RESTRICT
2. CASCADE
3. SET NULL
4. SET DEFAULT
For example :
In MySQL, constraints are used to enforce rules on
the data in a table, ensuring accuracy, integrity,
and reliability. Here's a summary of the most
commonly used constraints:
1. PRIMARY KEY
● Uniquely identifies each record in a table.
● Only one primary key is allowed per table, and
it can consist of one or multiple columns
(composite key).
● A primary key column cannot have NULL values.
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CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
FirstName VARCHAR(50),
LastName VARCHAR(50)
);
2. FOREIGN KEY
● Establishes a relationship between two tables
by linking a column in one table to the primary
key of another table.
● Ensures referential integrity by allowing only
values that exist in the referenced table.
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CREATE TABLE Orders (
OrderID INT PRIMARY KEY,
EmployeeID INT,
FOREIGN KEY (EmployeeID) REFERENCES
Employees(EmployeeID)
);
3. UNIQUE
● Ensures that all values in a column (or a set
of columns) are unique.
● Unlike the primary key, a table can have
multiple UNIQUE constraints.
● NULL values are allowed in a UNIQUE column, but
each NULL is considered distinct.
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CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
Email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE
);
4. NOT NULL
● Ensures that a column cannot have NULL values,
meaning the field must be filled.
Code here
CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
FirstName VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
LastName VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL
);
5. DEFAULT
● Sets a default value for a column if no value
is provided during the insert operation.
Code here
CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
FirstName VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
HireDate DATE DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE
);
6. CHECK (MySQL 8.0+)
● Ensures that all values in a column meet a
specific condition.
● This constraint is supported in MySQL 8.0 or
higher.
Code here
CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
Age INT CHECK (Age >= 18)
);
7. AUTO_INCREMENT
● Automatically generates a unique number when a
new record is inserted.
● Typically used for the primary key column.
Code here
CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
FirstName VARCHAR(50)
);
VISUALIZE THE FOREIGN KEY :
Establishes a relationship between two tables by
linking a column in one table to the primary key of
another table.
ALTER TABLE COMMAND:
The "ALTER TABLE" statement in SQL is used to
modify the structure of an
existing table. Some of the things that can be done
using the ALTER TABLE
statement include
1. Add columns
2. Delete columns
3. Modify columns
Here’s how you can add, delete, and modify columns
in MySQL using the ALTER TABLE statement:
1. Add Columns
To add a new column to an existing table, use the
ADD clause.
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ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD column_name datatype [constraint];
Example: Add a DateOfBirth column to the Employees
table.
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ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD DateOfBirth DATE;
You can also add multiple columns at once:
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ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD (Email VARCHAR(100), PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20));
2. Delete (Drop) Columns
To delete an existing column from a table, use the
DROP COLUMN clause.
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ALTER TABLE table_name
DROP COLUMN column_name;
Example: Drop the DateOfBirth column from the
Employees table.
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ALTER TABLE Employees
DROP COLUMN DateOfBirth;
You can also drop multiple columns by repeating the
DROP COLUMN clause:
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ALTER TABLE Employees
DROP COLUMN Email, DROP COLUMN PhoneNumber;
3. Modify Columns
To modify the data type, constraints, or other
attributes of an existing column, use the MODIFY or
CHANGE clause.
MODIFY: To change the data type or constraints
while keeping the same column name.
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ALTER TABLE table_name
MODIFY column_name new_datatype [constraint];
Example: Modify the FirstName column to increase
the length to 100 characters.
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ALTER TABLE Employees
MODIFY FirstName VARCHAR(100);
CHANGE: To change both the column name and
attributes (data type, constraints).
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ALTER TABLE table_name
CHANGE old_column_name new_column_name new_datatype
[constraint];
Example: Change the LastName column to Surname with
a different data type.
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ALTER TABLE Employees
● CHANGE LastName Surname VARCHAR(75);
