> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/sql-functions/secondary-functions/information-functions/database.md).

# DATABASE

## Syntax

```bnf
DATABASE()
SCHEMA()
```

## Description

Returns the default (current) database name as a string in the utf8 [character set](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets.md). If there is no default database, `DATABASE()` returns `NULL`. Within a [stored routine](/docs/server/server-usage/stored-routines.md), the default database is the database that the routine is associated with, which is not necessarily the same as the database that is the default in the calling context.

`SCHEMA()` is a synonym for `DATABASE()`.

To select a default database, the [USE](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/administrative-sql-statements/use-database.md) statement can be run. Another way to set the default database is specifying its name at [mariadb](/docs/server/clients-and-utilities/mariadb-client/mariadb-command-line-client.md) command line client startup.

## Examples

```sql
SELECT DATABASE();
+------------+
| DATABASE() |
+------------+
| NULL       |
+------------+

USE test;
Database changed

SELECT DATABASE();
+------------+
| DATABASE() |
+------------+
| test       |
+------------+
```

<sub>*This page is licensed: GPLv2, originally from*</sub> [<sub>*fill\_help\_tables.sql*</sub>](https://github.com/MariaDB/server/blob/main/scripts/fill_help_tables.sql)

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