Collation - (MySQL Globalisation)

Collation is an important concept in MySQL when it comes to sorting and comparing strings. In this tutorial, we'll discuss what collation is, how it works, and how to use it in MySQL.

Syntax

The syntax for specifying collation in MySQL is as follows:

SELECT column_name FROM table_name ORDER BY column_name COLLATE collation_name;

Here, column_name is the name of the column you want to order by, table_name is the name of the table containing the column, and collation_name is the name of the collation you want to use.

Example

Let's say we have a table called users with a column called name that we want to order by. Here's how we can use collation to order the names in a case-insensitive manner:

SELECT name FROM users ORDER BY name COLLATE utf8_general_ci;

In this example, we've specified the utf8_general_ci collation, which is a case-insensitive collation.

Output

When we run the example code above, the output will be a list of names, sorted in alphabetical order in a case-insensitive manner.

Explanation

Collation is a set of rules that determine how to compare and sort strings in a particular character set. It specifies the order in which characters should be sorted and whether to ignore case, accents, and other language-specific considerations.

In MySQL, collation can be specified at various levels, including the server, database, table, and column levels. The collation specified at each level overrides the collation specified at the higher levels.

Use

Collation is useful for sorting and comparing strings in a language-sensitive manner. It allows you to specify how characters should be sorted and whether to ignore case or accents. This can be useful when working with multilingual applications and databases.

Important Points

• Collation is a set of rules that determine how to compare and sort strings in a particular character set.
• Collation can be specified at various levels, including the server, database, table, and column levels.
• The collation specified at each level overrides the collation specified at the higher levels.
• Collation is useful for sorting and comparing strings in a language-sensitive manner.

Summary

In this tutorial, we discussed collation in MySQL, including its syntax, example, output, explanation, use, and important points. Collation is an important concept when working with multilingual databases and applications. Understanding how collation works can help you sort and compare strings in a language-sensitive manner.