# Describe command

The `Describe` command provides a decription of the specified table or view.

For a list of tables in the current schema, use the `Show Tables` command. For a list of views in the current schema, use the `Show Views` command. For a list of available schemas, use the `Show Schemas` command.

If the table or view is in a particular schema, qualify it with the schema name. If the table or view name is case-sensitive, enclose it in single quotes. You can display all the columns from all the tables and views in a single schema in a single display by using the wildcard character '`*`'. See the examples below.

## Syntax

    DESCRIBE { table-Name | view-Name }

## Examples

    ij> describe airlines;
    COLUMN_NAME         |TYPE_NAME|DEC&|NUM&|COLUM&|COLUMN_DEF|CHAR_OCTE&|IS_NULL&
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    AIRLINE             |CHAR     |NULL|NULL|2     |NULL      |4         |NO
    AIRLINE_FULL        |VARCHAR  |NULL|NULL|24    |NULL      |48        |YES
    BASIC_RATE          |DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    DISTANCE_DISCOUNT   |DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    BUSINESS_LEVEL_FACT&|DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    FIRSTCLASS_LEVEL_FA&|DOUBLE   |NULL|2   |52    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    ECONOMY_SEATS       |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    BUSINESS_SEATS      |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES
    FIRSTCLASS_SEATS    |INTEGER  |0   |10  |10    |NULL      |NULL      |YES

    -- describe a table in another schema:
    ij> describe user2.flights;
    -- describe a table whose name is in mixed-case:
    ij> describe 'EmployeeTable';
    -- describe a table in a different schema, with a case-sensitive name:
    ij> describe 'MyUser.Orders';
    -- describe all columns from all tables and views in the APP schema:
    ij> describe 'APP.*';
    -- describe all columns in the current schema:
    ij> describe '*';

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