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13.1.18.1 Files Created by CREATE TABLE

MySQL represents each table by an.frm table format (definition) file in the database directory. The storage engine for the table might create other files as well.

For anInnoDB table created in a file-per-table tablespace or general tablespace, table data and associated indexes are stored in a.ibd file in the database directory. When anInnoDB table is created in the system tablespace, table data and indexes are stored in theibdata* files that represent the system tablespace. Theinnodb_file_per_table option controls whether tables are created in file-per-table tablespaces or the system tablespace, by default. TheTABLESPACE option can be used to place a table in a file-per-table tablespace, general tablespace, or the system tablespace, regardless of theinnodb_file_per_table setting.

ForMyISAM tables, the storage engine creates data and index files. Thus, for eachMyISAM tabletbl_name, there are three disk files.

FilePurpose
tbl_name.frmTable format (definition) file
tbl_name.MYDData file
tbl_name.MYIIndex file

Chapter 15,Alternative Storage Engines, describes what files each storage engine creates to represent tables. If a table name contains special characters, the names for the table files contain encoded versions of those characters as described inSection 9.2.4, “Mapping of Identifiers to File Names”.

Limits Imposed by .frm File Structure

As described previously, each table has an.frm file that contains the table definition. The server uses the following expression to check some of the table information stored in the file against an upper limit of 64KB:

if (info_length+(ulong) create_fields.elements*FCOMP+288+    n_length+int_length+com_length > 65535L || int_count > 255)

The portion of the information stored in the.frm file that is checked against the expression cannot grow beyond the 64KB limit, so if the table definition reaches this size, no more columns can be added.

The relevant factors in the expression are:

  • info_length is space needed for“screens.” This is related to MySQL's Unireg heritage.

  • create_fields.elements is the number of columns.

  • FCOMP is 17.

  • n_length is the total length of all column names, including one byte per name as a separator.

  • int_length is related to the list of values forENUM andSET columns. In this context,“int” does not mean“integer.” It means“interval,” a term that refers collectively toENUM andSET columns.

  • int_count is the number of uniqueENUM andSET definitions.

  • com_length is the total length of column comments.

The expression just described has several implications for permitted table definitions:

  • Using long column names can reduce the maximum number of columns, as can the inclusion ofENUM orSET columns, or use of column comments.

  • A table can have no more than 255 uniqueENUM andSET definitions. Columns with identical element lists are considered the same against this limt. For example, if a table contains these two columns, they count as one (not two) toward this limit because the definitions are identical:

    e1 ENUM('a','b','c')e2 ENUM('a','b','c')

  • The sum of the length of element names in the uniqueENUM andSET definitions counts toward the 64KB limit, so although the theoretical limit on number of elements in a givenENUM column is 65,535, the practical limit is less than 3000.