Character Set (MySQL Globalisation)

Character set is a set of symbols and encodings that represent the characters in a human-readable form. In MySQL, the character set is used to define the type of character data that can be stored in tables and columns. In this tutorial, we will discuss the character set in MySQL and how it affects globalisation.

Syntax

The syntax for defining the character set in MySQL is as follows:

CREATE TABLE table_name (
   column_name data_type CHARACTER SET charset_name
);

Here, charset_name is the name of the supported character set in MySQL.

Example

Let's say we want to create a table that can store names in different languages. We can define the character set as follows:

CREATE TABLE names (
   id INT,
   name VARCHAR(50) CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
);

Here, we have defined the character set for the "name" column as utf8mb4, which supports multiple languages.

Explanation

In the example above, we defined a table called "names" with two columns - "id" and "name". We then specified the character set for the "name" column as utf8mb4. This means that the column can store data in multiple languages, including emoji characters.

When we insert data into the "name" column, MySQL will encode the data using the specified character set and store it in the table.

Use

The character set is an important part of globalisation in MySQL. By using the correct character set, you can ensure that your application can handle data in different languages and from different sources.

For example, if your application is used by people from different parts of the world, you may need to support multiple languages and character sets. By defining the character set for your tables and columns, you can make sure that the data is stored correctly and can be retrieved and displayed correctly.

Important Points

• MySQL supports multiple character sets, including utf8, utf8mb4, and latin1.
• The character set can be specified at the table or column level.
• The character set affects storage size and retrieval speed.
• It is essential to use the correct character set for your application to ensure that data is stored and displayed correctly.

Summary

In this tutorial, we discussed the character set in MySQL and how it affects globalisation. We covered the syntax, example, explanation, use, and important points of the character set in MySQL. By using the correct character set, you can ensure that your application can handle data in different languages and from different sources, providing the best possible user experience.