The MySQL server maintains many system variables that indicate how it is configured (see Section 7.1.8, “Server System Variables”). System variable information is available in these Performance Schema tables:
- global_variables: Global system variables. An application that wants only global values should use this table.
- session_variables: System variables for the current session. An application that wants all system variable values for its own session should use this table. It includes the session variables for its session, as well as the values of global variables that have no session counterpart.
- variables_by_thread: Session system variables for each active session. An application that wants to know the session variable values for specific sessions should use this table. It includes session variables only, identified by thread ID.
- persisted_variables: Provides a SQL interface to the- mysqld-auto.cnffile that stores persisted global system variable settings. See Section 29.12.14.2, “Performance Schema persisted_variables Table”.
- variables_info: Shows, for each system variable, the source from which it was most recently set, and its range of values. See Section 29.12.14.3, “Performance Schema variables_info Table”.
        The SENSITIVE_VARIABLES_OBSERVER
        privilege is required to view the values of sensitive system
        variables in these tables.
      
        The session variable tables
        (session_variables,
        variables_by_thread) contain
        information only for active sessions, not terminated sessions.
      
        The global_variables and
        session_variables tables have these
        columns:
- VARIABLE_NAME- The system variable name. 
- VARIABLE_VALUE- The system variable value. For - global_variables, this column contains the global value. For- session_variables, this column contains the variable value in effect for the current session.
        The global_variables and
        session_variables tables have these
        indexes:
- Primary key on ( - VARIABLE_NAME)
        The variables_by_thread table has
        these columns:
- THREAD_ID- The thread identifier of the session in which the system variable is defined. 
- VARIABLE_NAME- The system variable name. 
- VARIABLE_VALUE- The session variable value for the session named by the - THREAD_IDcolumn.
        The variables_by_thread table has
        these indexes:
- Primary key on ( - THREAD_ID,- VARIABLE_NAME)
        The variables_by_thread table
        contains system variable information only about foreground
        threads. If not all threads are instrumented by the Performance
        Schema, this table misses some rows. In this case, the
        Performance_schema_thread_instances_lost
        status variable is greater than zero.
      
        TRUNCATE TABLE is not supported
        for Performance Schema system variable tables.