Crazy query

[filburt1]

Is there a way in MySQL to make a query that returns the number of all characters in all rows in a certain column?

For example, let's say you have a table with a column called "username". SELECT LENGTH(username) FROM tablename would just return many rows with the lengths of all the usernames. Is there a way to just return the sum of them as one row?

[victor78]

Couldn't you just put the information in an array and use array_sum? Then that would tell you the total characters.

[Elena_Mitovska]

If I understood you correctly, you need to get amount of all characters in all rows in particul column:

try this

select sum(length(my_column)) from my_table

[filburt1]

Originally posted by victor78
Couldn't you just put the information in an array and use array_sum? Then that would tell you the total characters.

Yes but that returns a huge amount of data given the size of my database.

Elena: thanks, trying now...🙂

[filburt1]

Thanks, it worked, albeit it takes a while (0.15 secs) to execute (it does return 6 million characters 😃)