Learn how to alter enum to varchar in MySQL. Our MySQL Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.
MySQL alter ENUM to VARCHAR | Guide
If you are looking for a way to convert an ENUM column to VARCHAR in MySQL, our experts have your back.
According to our experts, there are two ways to get this done.
Method 1: Using ALTER TABLE with CAST
- First, we have to create a sample table with an ENUM column:
CREATE TABLE enum_example ( id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, color ENUM('orange', 'green', 'blue', 'yellow') );
Copy Code - Then, we must add a new VARCHAR column to the existing table with the ALTER TABLE statement.
ALTER TABLE enum_example ADD COLUMN color_new VARCHAR(255);
Copy Code - Now, update the newly added VARCHAR column with data from the ENUM column by casting it as a character using the CAST function.
UPDATE enum_example SET color_new = CAST(color AS CHAR);
Copy Code - Then, we will drop the old ENUM column from the table as seen here:
ALTER TABLE enum_example DROP COLUMN color;
Copy Code - We can verify the above steps worked by running a SELECT query on the table.
Method 2: Using ALTER TABLE with CASE
- First, let’s create a sample table with an ENUM column:
CREATE TABLE enum_example ( id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, color ENUM('orange', 'green', 'blue', 'yellow') );
Copy Code - Then, add a new VARCHAR column to the existing table with the ALTER TABLE statement.
ALTER TABLE enum_example ADD COLUMN color_new VARCHAR(255);
Copy Code - Now, update the newly added VARCHAR column with data from the ENUM column wit a CASE statement.
UPDATE enum_example SET color_new = CASE color WHEN 'orange' THEN 'orange' WHEN 'green' THEN 'vert' WHEN 'blue' THEN 'bleu' WHEN 'yellow' THEN 'jaune' ELSE 'unknown' END;
Copy Code - Finally, it is time to drop the old ENUM column from the table.
ALTER TABLE enum_example DROP COLUMN color;
Copy Code - We can verify the above steps worked by running a SELECT query on the table.
Today, we took a quick look at two methods to convert an ENUM column to VARCHAR in MySQL. Let us know in the comments which method helped you out.
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Conclusion
In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to alter ENUM to VARCHAR in MySQL.
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