Views in MySQL

Back to MySQL & Prisma
Arjit Sharma
01 Min

A view is a virtual table created from the result of a SQL query.

Instead of storing data itself, a view stores:

  • a query definition,
  • and dynamically returns data when queried.

Views help simplify complex queries, improve readability, and restrict access to sensitive data.

Creating a View

CREATE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT
  id,
  email
FROM users
WHERE is_active = TRUE;

This creates a view named active_users ., the view behaves similarly to a table even though it is backend of a query.

Querying a View

SELECT * FROM active_users;

MySQL executes the underlying query automatically.

How Views work

Think of a view as a saved SQL query, exposed as a virtual table.

Example

users table
   ↓
filter active users
   ↓
active_users view

Applications can query the view directly without knowing the underlying query details.

Performance Consideration - A view simply wraps a query, MySQL still executes the underlying SQL.

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