SHOW TABLES - MySQL

Overview

The SHOW TABLES command in MySQL is used to list the names of all tables in the current database. It is commonly employed to get an overview of the database structure or to check for the existence of specific tables.

Syntax

SHOW TABLES [FROM `<database_name>`] [LIKE `<pattern>`]

Parameters:

• <database_name> (Optional): Specify the database name to list tables from. If omitted, the current database is used.
• <pattern> (Optional): Use a wildcard pattern to filter the displayed table names.

Options/Flags

None

Examples

Simple usage:

SHOW TABLES;

Output:

| Tables_in_<database_name> |
| ------------------------ |
| table1 |
| table2 |
| table3 |

Filter by database:

SHOW TABLES FROM <other_database_name>;

Limit to tables matching a pattern:

SHOW TABLES LIKE 'user%';

Common Issues

Error: “Access denied”…

This error usually indicates that the user does not have sufficient privileges to view the tables in the specified database. Ensure that the user has the necessary permissions.

No output…

If no tables are present in the database or if the specified pattern does not match any tables, the command will not produce any output.

Integration

The SHOW TABLES command can be used in conjunction with other MySQL commands, such as DESCRIBE to get detailed information about a specific table, or SELECT to query data from a table.

Related Commands

• SHOW DATABASES: Lists all databases on the server.
• DESCRIBE: Provides detailed information about a table’s structure.
• SELECT: Retrieves data from one or more tables.