PostgreSQL – How to Describe a Table

ByAdmin

To describe a table in PostgreSQL and retrieve information about its columns and data types, you can use the \d command in the psql command-line tool or execute a SQL query. Here are two common methods to describe a table:

Method 1: Using \d in psql (Command-Line Tool):

Open a terminal and start the psql command-line tool:

psql -U your_username -d your_database

Replace your_username with your PostgreSQL username and your_database with the name of the database containing the table you want to describe.

To describe a specific table, use the \d command followed by the table name. 

\d table_name

where table_name with the name of the table you want to describe.

psql will display detailed information about the table, including its columns, data types, constraints, indexes, and more.

Method 2: Using a SQL Query:

You can use SQL queries to retrieve information about a table by querying the system catalogs. Here’s an example query to describe a table:

SELECT column_name, data_type, character_maximum_length, is_nullable, column_default FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name = 'table_name';

Replace table_name with the name of the table you want to describe.

This query selects information about the columns of the specified table from the information_schema.columns view, providing details such as the column name, data type, maximum character length (for character types), whether the column allows null values, and the default value (if any).

You can customize the query to retrieve additional information about the table’s constraints, indexes, and more by querying other system catalog tables as needed.

Both of these methods will provide you with a detailed description of the specified table, helping you understand its structure and attributes.

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