How Can I Store and Retrieve Array-Like Data in MySQL?

Methods to Store Arrays in MySQL Database

While MySQL does not natively support arrays, it provides alternative approaches to store array-like data. One common method is to utilize multiple tables and establish relationships between them using JOIN operations.

Creating Multiple Tables

Consider the scenario described in the question. To store an array of fruits in the Person table's "fruits" column, we can create the following tables:

• Person:

  • id (INT)
  • name (VARCHAR(50))

• Fruit:

  • fruit_name (VARCHAR(20))
  • color (VARCHAR(20))
  • price (INT)

• Person_Fruit (linking table):

  • person_id (INT)
  • fruit_name (VARCHAR(20))

Establishing Relationships

The Person_Fruit table serves as a linking table, creating a many-to-many relationship between the Person and Fruit tables. One row in this table represents a relationship between a specific person and a specific fruit.

Storing Array-Like Data

To store an array of fruits for a person in the "fruits" column, insert into the Person_Fruit table multiple rows, with each row representing one fruit.

For example, to store the fruits "apple," "orange," and "banana" for a person with id=1, insert the following rows into Person_Fruit:

(1, "apple")
(1, "orange")
(1, "banana")

Retrieving Array-Like Data

To retrieve the array of fruits for a person, join the Person, Person_Fruit, and Fruit tables using the following query:

SELECT p.`name` AS `person_name`, GROUP_CONCAT(f.`fruit_name`) AS `fruits`
FROM Person AS p
INNER JOIN Person_Fruit AS pf ON p.`id` = pf.`person_id`
INNER JOIN Fruit AS f ON pf.`fruit_name` = f.`fruit_name`
GROUP BY p.`name`

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