Understanding Window Functions in SQL

Window functions can be a useful tool when writing SQL queries. They allow us to include aggregate data across multiple rows without getting those pesky errors that sometimes occur when we try to use an aggregate function in the wrong way.

In this article, I aim to provide a simple overview of window functions and how they can be used to provide a more useful result set when running SQL queries.

Read more

2 Ways to Add a DEFAULT Clause to an Existing Column in MySQL

If you have an existing column in MySQL that you want to add a DEFAULT clause to, the following example may help.

To explicitly add a DEFAULT clause to an existing column in MySQL, we can use the ALTER TABLE statement along with the MODIFY clause.

We can also add a DEFAULT clause implicitly by defining a column as nullable. When we do this, MySQL implicitly adds its own DEFAULT clause.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more