USE [DATABASE]

Selects the default database for the current session. Subsequent queries execute against this database unless explicitly qualified by name.

Syntax

USE db_name

Description

The 'USE db_name' statement tells MariaDB to use the db_name database as the default (current) database for subsequent statements. The database remains the default until the end of the session, or until another USE statement is issued:

USE db1;
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM mytable;   # selects FROM db1.mytable
USE db2;
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM mytable;   # selects FROM db2.mytable

The DATABASE() function (SCHEMA() is a synonym) returns the default database.

Another way to set the default database is by specifying its name when starting the mariadb command line client:

mariadb db1    # starts the mariadb command-line client with db1 as the current database

One cannot use USE to a database one has no privileges to. The reason is that a user with no privileges to a database should not be able to know if a database exists or not.

See Also

• Identifier Qualifiers

• USE CATALOG

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