How to Retrieve All Column Names for All Tables in MySQL?

Retrieving Column Names for All Tables in MySQL: An Efficient Approach

In MySQL, accessing information about your database schema can be vital for data analysis, debugging, and various other tasks. Retrieving all column names for all tables can be a tedious process if done manually. However, there is an efficient method for obtaining this information without the need to enumerate tables individually.

The MySQL INFORMATION_SCHEMA provides valuable metadata about the database, including details about tables and their columns. To retrieve all column names for all tables, you can leverage the following SQL query:

<code class="sql">select column_name from information_schema.columns
where table_schema = 'your_db'
order by table_name,ordinal_position</code>

Here's how this query works:

• information_schema.columns: This is the table in the INFORMATION_SCHEMA database that contains information about all columns in your database.
• table_schema = 'your_db': This filter limits the results to columns in the specified database, where 'your_db' is replaced with the name of your target database.
• order by table_name,ordinal_position: This clause sorts the results alphabetically by table name and then the column position within each table.

By executing this query, you will receive a list of all column names, grouped by table name and ordered sequentially. This information can be used for various purposes, such as creating dynamic reports, troubleshooting data integrity issues, or generating data migration scripts.

Remember to replace 'your_db' with the actual name of the database you want to query and adapt the query as needed based on your specific requirements.

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