If we have a CHECK constraint that’s currently not enforced, we can easily change this so that it’s enforced.
We can use the following code to enforce a CHECK constraint in MySQL.
Relational
Fix Error 1138 “Invalid use of NULL value” in MySQL
If you’re getting error 1138 that reads “invalid use of NULL value“, it could be because you’re trying to change the definition of a column to require non-NULL values, but the column contains NULL values.
This can happen when we try to change a column from NOT NULL to NULL. It can also happen when we try to set a column as a primary key, but that column contains NULL values.
To fix this issue, be sure to ensure that the column you’re modifying doesn’t contain any NULL values. Alternatively, if the column should be able to accept NULL values, then you should change your column definition to allow NULL values.
How to Add a CHECK Constraint to an Existing Table in MySQL
As of MySQL 8.0.16, we can create CHECK constraints in MySQL. We can create them at the time of creating the table, or we can add the constraint later.
To add a CHECK constraint to an existing table, we can use the ALTER TABLE statement.
SERIAL vs AUTO_INCREMENT in MySQL
If you’ve ever encountered a SERIAL column in a MySQL database, you might’ve wondered how it differs from an AUTO_INCREMENT column. After all, they both generate values that automatically increment?
Read on to find out what the difference is between SERIAL and AUTO_INCREMENT in MySQL.
3 JSON Utility Functions in MySQL
MySQL provides us with a few utility functions that act on JSON values, or strings that can be parsed as JSON values.
Below are three JSON utility functions that we can use for such tasks.
How to Add Headings for WITH ROLLUP in MySQL
MySQL provides us with the WITH ROLLUP modifier for the GROUP BY function for generating super aggregate data.
But by default, this modifier doesn’t label its data. By this I mean, it doesn’t provide us with meaningful labels for the rows that it generates. It simply uses NULL in those rows.
Maybe you’ve encountered this and are now looking for a solution.
Below is a handy little technique we can use to replace NULL with our own headings for these rows.
Using the sys.format_statement() Function in MySQL to Truncate a SQL Statement
In MySQL, the sys.format_statement() system function reduces the length of a given string/SQL statement to the length stored in the statement_truncate_len configuration option.
This function can be handy for truncating potentially long SQL statements retrieved from Performance Schema tables into a more suitable length (64 characters by default).
How to Create a CHECK Constraint Against a JSON Column in MySQL
When we create or modify a table in MySQL, we have the option of applying a CHECK constraint against one or more columns. This allows us to check the data before it enters the database. Data can only enter the database if it doesn’t violate the rules in our CHECK constraint.
If the column is a JSON column, we have the option of creating a CHECK constraint that checks that the JSON document doesn’t violate its JSON schema. To do this, we can include the schema in the CHECK constraint.
Understanding the PS_THREAD_ID() Function in MySQL
In MySQL, we can use the PS_THREAD_ID() function to get the Performance Schema thread ID assigned to a given connection ID. This can be useful whenever we use a function that takes the thread ID as its parameter, but we only know the connection ID.
If no thread ID exists for the connection, then NULL is returned.
The built-in PS_THREAD_ID() function does the same thing as the now deprecated sys.ps_thread_id() function. Therefore, we can call the function without needing to qualify it with sys or making sys our current schema.
Using the sys.format_path() Function to Dynamically Replace a Subpath with its Equivalent System Variable in MySQL
In MySQL, the sys.format_path() function is a stored function in the sys schema. It accepts a path name, and returns the modified path name after replacing subpaths that match the values of certain system variables.
So we can use the function to dynamically replace part or all of our path with a system variable that matches that path segment.