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MySQL Information Schema  /  INFORMATION_SCHEMA General Tables  /  The INFORMATION_SCHEMA SCHEMATA Table

4.22 The INFORMATION_SCHEMA SCHEMATA Table

A schema is a database, so the SCHEMATA table provides information about databases.

The SCHEMATA table has these columns:

  • CATALOG_NAME

    The name of the catalog to which the schema belongs. This value is always def.

  • SCHEMA_NAME

    The name of the schema.

  • DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME

    The schema default character set.

  • DEFAULT_COLLATION_NAME

    The schema default collation.

  • SQL_PATH

    This value is always NULL.

Schema names are also available from the SHOW DATABASES statement. See SHOW DATABASES Statement. The following statements are equivalent:

SELECT SCHEMA_NAME AS `Database`
  FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA
  [WHERE SCHEMA_NAME LIKE 'wild']
SHOW DATABASES
  [LIKE 'wild']

You see only those databases for which you have some kind of privilege, unless you have the global SHOW DATABASES privilege.

Caution

Because a global privilege is considered a privilege for all databases, any global privilege enables a user to see all database names with SHOW DATABASES or by examining the INFORMATION_SCHEMA SCHEMATA table.