MySQL Tutorial / Examples of Common Queries / Using User-Defined Variables
You can employ MySQL user variables to remember results without having to store them in temporary variables in the client. (SeeUser-Defined Variables.)
For example, to find the articles with the highest and lowest price you can do this:
mysql> SELECT @min_price:=MIN(price),@max_price:=MAX(price) FROM shop;mysql> SELECT * FROM shop WHERE price=@min_price OR price=@max_price;+---------+--------+-------+| article | dealer | price |+---------+--------+-------+| 0003 | D | 1.25 || 0004 | D | 19.95 |+---------+--------+-------+Note
It is also possible to store the name of a database object such as a table or a column in a user variable and then to use this variable in an SQL statement; however, this requires the use of a prepared statement. SeePrepared Statements, for more information.