MySQL 5.0 Certification Study Guide

A view is a database object that is defined in terms of a SELECT statement that retrieves the data you want the view to produce. Views are sometimes called "virtual tables." A view can be used to select from regular tables (called "base tables") or other views. In some cases, a view is updatable and can be used with statements such as UPDATE, DELETE, or INSERT to modify an underlying base table.

This chapter covers the following exam topics:

• The benefits of using views

• Creating, altering, and dropping views

• Performing validity checks on views

• Obtaining metadata about views

• Privileges required for operations on views