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

1. 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')
);
2. 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);

3. 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);

4. Then, we will drop the old ENUM column from the table as seen here:

   ALTER TABLE enum_example
DROP COLUMN color;

5. We can verify the above steps worked by running a SELECT query on the table.

Method 2: Using ALTER TABLE with CASE

1. 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')
);
2. 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);

3. 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;

4. Finally, it is time to drop the old ENUM column from the table.

   
ALTER TABLE enum_example
DROP COLUMN color;

5. 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.