# DEFAULT

## Syntax

```sql
DEFAULT(col_name)
```

## Description

Returns the default value for a table column. If the column has no default value (and is not `NULLABLE` - `NULLABLE` fields have a `NULL` default), an error is returned.

For integer columns using [AUTO\_INCREMENT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/auto_increment), `0` is returned.

When using `DEFAULT` as a value to set in an [INSERT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/data-manipulation/inserting-loading-data/insert) or [UPDATE](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/data-manipulation/changing-deleting-data/update) statement, you can use the bare keyword `DEFAULT` without the parentheses and argument to refer to the column in context. You can only use `DEFAULT` as a bare keyword if you are using it alone without a surrounding expression or function.

## Examples

Select only non-default values for a column:

```sql
SELECT i FROM t WHERE i != DEFAULT(i);
```

Update values to be one greater than the default value:

```sql
UPDATE t SET i = DEFAULT(i)+1 WHERE i < 100;
```

When referring to the default value exactly in `UPDATE` or `INSERT`, you can omit the argument:

```sql
INSERT INTO t (i) VALUES (DEFAULT);
UPDATE t SET i = DEFAULT WHERE i < 100;
```

```sql
CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE t (
  i INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, 
  j INT NOT NULL, 
  k INT DEFAULT 3, 
  l INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 4, 
  m INT, 
  PRIMARY KEY (i)
);

DESC t;
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+----------------+
| Field | Type    | Null | Key | Default | Extra          |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+----------------+
| i     | int(11) | NO   | PRI | NULL    | auto_increment |
| j     | int(11) | NO   |     | NULL    |                |
| k     | int(11) | YES  |     | 3       |                |
| l     | int(11) | NO   |     | 4       |                |
| m     | int(11) | YES  |     | NULL    |                |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+----------------+

INSERT INTO t (j) VALUES (1);
INSERT INTO t (j,m) VALUES (2,2);
INSERT INTO t (j,l,m) VALUES (3,3,3);

SELECT * FROM t;
+---+---+------+---+------+
| i | j | k    | l | m    |
+---+---+------+---+------+
| 1 | 1 |    3 | 4 | NULL |
| 2 | 2 |    3 | 4 |    2 |
| 3 | 3 |    3 | 3 |    3 |
+---+---+------+---+------+

SELECT DEFAULT(i), DEFAULT(k), DEFAULT (l), DEFAULT(m) FROM t;
+------------+------------+-------------+------------+
| DEFAULT(i) | DEFAULT(k) | DEFAULT (l) | DEFAULT(m) |
+------------+------------+-------------+------------+
|          0 |          3 |           4 |       NULL |
|          0 |          3 |           4 |       NULL |
|          0 |          3 |           4 |       NULL |
+------------+------------+-------------+------------+

SELECT DEFAULT(i), DEFAULT(k), DEFAULT (l), DEFAULT(m), DEFAULT(j)  FROM t;
ERROR 1364 (HY000): Field 'j' doesn't have a default value

SELECT * FROM t WHERE i = DEFAULT(i);
Empty set (0.001 sec)

SELECT * FROM t WHERE j = DEFAULT(j);
ERROR 1364 (HY000): Field 'j' doesn't have a default value

SELECT * FROM t WHERE k = DEFAULT(k);
+---+---+------+---+------+
| i | j | k    | l | m    |
+---+---+------+---+------+
| 1 | 1 |    3 | 4 | NULL |
| 2 | 2 |    3 | 4 |    2 |
| 3 | 3 |    3 | 3 |    3 |
+---+---+------+---+------+

SELECT * FROM t WHERE l = DEFAULT(l);
+---+---+------+---+------+
| i | j | k    | l | m    |
+---+---+------+---+------+
| 1 | 1 |    3 | 4 | NULL |
| 2 | 2 |    3 | 4 |    2 |
+---+---+------+---+------+

SELECT * FROM t WHERE m = DEFAULT(m);
Empty set (0.001 sec)

SELECT * FROM t WHERE m <=> DEFAULT(m);
+---+---+------+---+------+
| i | j | k    | l | m    |
+---+---+------+---+------+
| 1 | 1 |    3 | 4 | NULL |
+---+---+------+---+------+
```

## See Also

* [CREATE TABLE DEFAULT Clause](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/server-usage/tables/create-table#default-column-option)

<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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