Collation
- Collation refers to the rules governing the comparison of characters in a character set. It specifies how characters are arranged and compared in queries, particularly when dealing with string data.
- When comparing or sorting text data, collation is necessary. It ensures that the database knows how to order the characters and strings in the most appropriate culturally and linguistically way.
- MariaDB enable checking database’s collation and character set in several ways. Here’s one:
In this article, We have a Minal database which we will use throughout the article.
Query:
USE Minal;
SELECT @@character_set_database, @@collation_database;
Output:
Explanation:The output of the above query gives us the character set and collation of ‘Minal‘ database. In the first column it display ‘Minal‘ database character set. In the second column will indicate the collation of the ‘Minal‘ database.
With the ALTER DATABASE statement, it is possible to modify the character set and the database collation type. We may specify the charset_name and collation_name to have the database customized to our changing needs.
MariaDB Alter Database
MariaDB is an open-source relational database management system. In comparison to MySQL, MariaDB possesses several similar features, including ACID compliance, support for a wide range of storage engines, and availability of different data types. As our data needs develop, the demand to modify our databases will become necessary. In MariaDB, the ALTER DATABASE statement comes out as an effective command for altering existing databases. This article will delve into the different facets of modifying databases in MariaDB, including syntax, frequent contexts, and optimal strategies to ensure smooth database transmutation.
ALTER DATABASE Statement in MariaDB
The ALTER DATABASE command in MariaDB gives users the ability to make changes to an existing database. This helpful command serves various changes, including changing database parameters and capabilities. Moreover, let’s go deeper into the syntax and look at some typical cases.
Syntax:
ALTER DATABASE database_name [CHARACTER SET [=] charset_name] [COLLATE [=] collation_name]
Explanation:
- ALTER DATABASE: This is the main statement that indicates that we want to modify an existing database.
- database_name: Put the name of the database we want to change here. This is the database whose attributes we are changing.
- [CHARACTER SET [=] charset_name]: This part is optional and can be used in the case when we want to change the default character set for the given database. As seen in the square brackets it is optional and we can decide to include this part or eliminate it. If included, we would replace charset_name with the desired character set. The = sign is also optional, meaning we can use CHARACTER SET charset_name without the =.
- [COLLATE [=] collation_name]: Similar to the character set, this part is also optional. It allows we to change the default collation for the specified database. If included, replace collation_name with the desired collation. The = sign is, again, optional.
Character Set and Collation are concepts in database management that define how data is stored and compared in terms of characters, particularly text data.
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