How to get the mysql table columns data type?

In MySQL, to retrieve the data types of the columns in a table, you can use the DESCRIBE or SHOW COLUMNS commands. Both commands provide information about the table structure, including the data types of each column.

Using the DESCRIBE Command

The DESCRIBE command is a straightforward method for viewing column information of a table. It not only displays the data types of the columns but also shows other details such as whether NULL values are permitted and the default values for columns.

Example: Suppose we have a table named employees and we want to know the data types of all columns. You can execute the following command:

sql
DESCRIBE employees;

This will return output similar to the following:

shell
+-------+----------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field | Type           | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+-------+----------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| id    | int(11)        | NO   | PRI | NULL    |       |
| name  | varchar(50)    | YES  |     | NULL    |       |
| salary| decimal(8,2)   | NO   |     | 0.00    |       |
| department | varchar(50) | YES  |     | NULL    |       |
+-------+----------------+------+-----+---------+-------+

From the 'Type' column in the above table, you can clearly see the data types of each field.

Using the SHOW COLUMNS Command

Another option is to use the SHOW COLUMNS command, which provides similar output.

Example: Similarly, for the employees table, the command using SHOW COLUMNS is as follows:

sql
SHOW COLUMNS FROM employees;

The output will be similar to that of the DESCRIBE command, displaying the data types of the columns along with other relevant information.

Both methods effectively provide a detailed view of the table structure, including the data types of the columns. In practical applications, the choice between these methods depends on personal preference, as they provide very similar information.