Creating a database schema

In this recipe, you will learn how to create a database in Hive.

Getting ready

The Create Database statement is used to create a database in Hive. By default, there is a database in Hive named default.

The general format of creating a database is as follows:

CREATE (DATABASE|SCHEMA) [IF NOT EXISTS] database_name
  [COMMENT database_comment]
  [LOCATION hdfs_path]
  [WITH DBPROPERTIES (property_name=property_value, ...)];

Where:

• DATABASE|SCHEMA: These are the same thing. These words can be used interchangeably.

• [IF NOT EXISTS]: This is an optional clause. If not used, an error is thrown when there is an attempt to create a database that already exists.

• [COMMENT]: This is an optional clause. This is used to place a comment for the database. This comment clause can be used to add a description about the database. The comment must be in single quotes.

• [LOCATION]: This is an optional clause. This is used to override the default location with the preferred one.

• [WITH DBPROPERTIES...