Describe command

Syntax

DESCRIBE { table-Name | view-Name }

Description

Provides a decription of the specified table or view. For a list of tables in the current schema, use the Show Tables command. For a list of views in the current schema, use the Show Views command. For a list of available schemas, use the Show Schemas command.

If the table or view is in a particular schema, qualify it with the schema name. If the table or view name is case-sensitive, enclose it in single quotes. You can display all the columns from all the tables and views in a single schema in a single display by using the wildcard character '*'. See the examples below.

Examples

ij> describe airlines;
COLUMN_NAME         |TYPE_NAME|DEC&|NUM&|COLUM&|COLUMN_DEF|CHAR_OCTE&|IS_NULL&
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIRLINE             |CHAR     |NULL|NULL|2     |NULL      |4         |NO
AIRLINE_FULL        |VARCHAR  |NULL|NULL|24    |NULL      |48        |YES
BASIC_RATE          |DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
DISTANCE_DISCOUNT   |DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
BUSINESS_LEVEL_FACT&|DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
FIRSTCLASS_LEVEL_FA&|DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
ECONOMY_SEATS       |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
BUSINESS_SEATS      |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
FIRSTCLASS_SEATS    |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES

    -- describe a table in another schema:
    describe user2.flights;
    -- describe a table whose name is in mixed-case:
    describe 'EmployeeTable';
    -- describe a table in a different schema, with a case-sensitive name:
    describe 'MyUser.Orders';
    -- describe all the columns from all the tables and views in APP schema:
    describe 'APP.*';
    -- describe all the columns in the current schema:
    describe '*';