Want to learn more about the MySQL create table function? We're breaking down what it is, structure, best practices and more.

MySQL Create Table — What Is It?

To create a Relations (Tables) inside MySQL, the Create query is used with additional keyword Table, with the arguments consisting of column names and their respective data types.

MySQL Create Table — Structure & Cases

The syntax for MySQL create table is the following:
CREATE TABLE TableName (list of Column names and their attributes separated by comma);
For instance, if you wanted to create an employee table with three columns, you’d do so with the following format:
CREATE TABLE employee (Employee_ID int(8) Auto_increment, Employess_NAME VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL, Designation VARCHAR(10) NULL)
From the MySQL statement above, we have the following to consider while using the CREATE Table statement:
  • The keywords within the statement are separated by a space.
  • Table names and column names cannot have escape characters, i.e., space, comma, quotes, slashes, etc.
  • Column names are followed by data types, and enclosed parentheses contain the length — which determines the maximum value length the table will be able to handle for a particular column.
  • Data types are followed by field/column attributes. These attributes specify various constraints on the field, such as NOT NULL which means column value cannot be empty for insertions or updates.
Please see the following figure for further clarification of the MySQL CREATE TABLE statement.

MySQL Create Table — Precautions & Best Practices

Here are a few best practices and precautions when using MySQL CREATE statement:
  1. Use either captel letters or underscore separated words for table and column names, i.e., TABLENAME, TABLE_NAME, table_name.
  2. The engine selected for the table should correspond to the database encoding.
  3. For columns, specify constraints according to requirements and do not depend on coding or wrappers to tackle the constraints.
  4. Do not give excess length for data types, as this can make tables heavy and search queries slow.
  5. Always specify an index for the table.
  6. Define an auto increment field, which allows a unique index for each row.

MySQL Create Table — Final Word

MySQL CREATE statement is the go-to way to create tables in mysql. And with the proper precautions, users can achieve efficient and seamless performance. It also allows efficient mapping of logical ideas into practical implementation. 

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SingleStore is MySQL wire compatible and offers the familiar syntax of SQL, but is based on modern underlying technology that allows infinitely higher speed and scale versus MySQL. This is one of the many reasons SingleStore is the #1, top-rated relational database on TrustRadius.

SingleStoreDB Create Table

SingleStoreDB also provides an equivalent to MySQL create table which supports various options including restore, update and referencing. The differences with MySQL create Table are data types and the unique syntax of SingleStoreDB.
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