How to view tables in mysql workbench

I basically fail to view data in the new Workbench version without firing queries. I recall it was clearly possible in the previous version by simply using context menu something like "view table data".

Table of Contents Show

Viewing comments
Editing comments
Bonus: Share database schema with comments in HTML
How do I view tables in MySQL?
How do I view a database in MySQL Workbench?
How do I see all the tables in a MySQL query?
How do I view a list of tables?

Now in 6.0 I can't see this option anymore. Though I can see "search table data" which gives me next window where I have to input some mysterial query the pattern of which I fail to recognize. (see second screenshot - Start Search button is disabled)

It is not a big problem for me to fire queries, but still this is quite annoying especially if you don't see sql on daily basis using ORM and you just want to take a quick look at the table.

Oracle update - 1, :-)

My apologies to all db evangelists.

asked Sep 4, 2013 at 3:47

If you just want to see the data in a table then do a select for that table in a query editor. That's the most basic operation wrt SQL. Using the table search with some "mysterious query" certainly does not help to accomplish that task. Search is, as the name implies, a search. Put the value you are looking for in the search field and let MySQL Workbench do the search for you. As easy as that.

If you want a mouse only approach then open the schema in the tree and right click on the table you want to see. A context menu appears and the first entry is the select (which takes the limit into account that is set in the preferences, to avoid pulling a potential million rows).

The old "Edit table data" was a very similar shortcut, but that uses the EDIT keyword to tell the editor that the result is editable. That was an intermediate addition as MySQL Workbench had no other way to know if that is the case. In the meantime the application can detect this automatically (a PK must exist, no aggregates, no joins etc.), so the EDIT keyword as well as the shortcut have been removed.

answered Sep 4, 2013 at 7:29

Mike LischkeMike Lischke

1,5139 silver badges11 bronze badges

Right click on your table and choose select rows (first option)

answered Jan 24, 2014 at 18:11

Open a new SQL script file There are 10 icons below just click on the 5th icon labeled 'EXECUTE THE PLAIN COMMAND...…………….. and a second tab shows up go to the right side of the screen and click on GRID RESULT

answered Sep 6, 2018 at 0:04

MySQL, like most databases, allows you to add comments to each table and column. If used, this is useful for understanding database schema and meaning of data elements.

In this tutorial, I would like to show you how to view and edit table and column comments with MySQL Workbench - a free MySQL development and management tool from Oracle.

Viewing comments

Let's start with finding existing comments. I assume you are already connected to your database and schema and found a list of tables (lower left side of the screen below). To view comments for a specific table, click right mouse button and choose Table Inspector option. It will open a new tab in main pane (right-hand side of the screen).

Comment assigned to your table will be visible at the bottom of the first tab called Info, along with other table metadata.

To view comments for columns go to Columns tab, and comments will be visible in the last column in the grid.

Editing comments

If in the last step you didn't see any comments it's probably because there were none entered. Why not do it now?

To edit comments in the specific table, you need to enter into edit mode. Select table, click right mouse button and choose Alter table... option. It will open a new tab in the main pane (right-hand side of the screen) with the editor.

You can edit table description in Comments field on the top (blue rectangle).

To change column comment you need to first select a column from the grid in the middle of the form (it's attributes will appear at the bottom of the form) and you will be able to edit commetns in the Comments field (green rectangle).

Make sure to save changes with the Apply button. Make sure you didn't make any other unwanted changes as any change to the schema will also be applied to the database.

Exploring schema of MySQL database and reading comments in is not most convenient with MySQL Workbench. I have good news, you can easily extract schema and share in convenient, searchable HTML documentation in minutes with Dataedo. Here is a sample documentation:

See live sample

Try it yourself for free now

How do I view tables in MySQL?

To use the SHOW TABLES command, you need to log on to the MySQL server first..

On opening the MySQL Command Line Client, enter your password..

Select the specific database..

Run the SHOW TABLES command to see all the tables in the database that has been selected..

How do I view a database in MySQL Workbench?

To view the database created on MySQL Workbench, navigate to Database > Connect to Database . Choose an existing connection to connect to MySQL Server or create a new one. The database created will be as shown in the screenshot below.

How do I see all the tables in a MySQL query?

To get a list of the tables in a MySQL database, use the mysql client tool to connect to the MySQL server and run the SHOW TABLES command. The optional FULL modifier will show the table type as a second output column.