====== MySQL Set Character Set and Collation ======

===== For existing tables=====

To use utf8 character set and utf8_general_ci collation:

<code sql>
ALTER TABLE my_table
CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8
COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
</code>

Repeat this for all tables for which you need to adjust the character set and collation.

===== For the future tables =====

The newly created tables will use the default database character set and collation. \\
To change it:

<code sql>
ALTER DATABASE my_database
CHARACTER SET = utf8
COLLATE = utf8_general_ci
</code>

===== View existing character set and collation for a specific table =====

<code sql>
SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM my_table
</code>

<note>
**Collation** refers to a set of rules that determine how characters in character sets are compared and sorted. \\ These rules affect the results of data retrieval when the **ORDER BY, GROUP BY, LIKE**, and other SQL clauses are used. Collations also affect operations like **string comparison** ( =, <>, <, <=, >, >= )
</note>

<note>
A character set is a set of symbols and encodings (for example, utf8, latin1). \\ 
A collation is a set of rules for comparing characters in a character set.
</note>

<note important>
Some collations are **case-sensitive (utf8_bin)**, while others are **case-insensitive (utf8_general_ci)**.
</note>