DESC Command Reference

Description

Displays the detailed structure or properties of a specified object in Singdata Lakehouse. DESCRIBE can be abbreviated as DESC.

DESC[RIBE] <object_type> [ EXTENDED ] <object_name>

Parameter	Description	Required
`<object_type>`	The type of object to describe, such as `TABLE`, `SCHEMA`, `VCLUSTER`, etc.	Yes
`EXTENDED`	Display more detailed information	No
`<object_name>`	The object name, may include a schema prefix	Yes

Object Type	Syntax Example	Description
Regular Table	`DESC TABLE <name>`	Show table structure (column names, types, comments)
Dynamic Table	`DESC DYNAMIC TABLE <name>`	Show dynamic table structure and refresh configuration
Materialized View	`DESC MATERIALIZED VIEW <name>`	Show materialized view structure
View	`DESC VIEW <name>`	Show view definition
External Table	`DESC EXTERNAL TABLE <name>`	Show external table structure
Table Stream	`DESC TABLE STREAM <name>`	Show Stream configuration and schema
Schema	`DESC SCHEMA <name>`	Show Schema information
External Schema	`DESC EXTERNAL SCHEMA <name>`	Show external Schema configuration
External Catalog	`DESC CATALOG <name>`	Show External Catalog information
Compute Cluster	`DESC VCLUSTER <name>`	Show VCluster specifications and status
Connection	`DESC CONNECTION <name>`	Show Connection configuration
Data Share	`DESC SHARE <name>`	Show Share configuration
Index	`DESC INDEX <name>`	Show index information
Job	`DESC JOB <job_id>`	Show job execution information
History Version	`DESC HISTORY <name>`	Show table history versions
Function	`DESC FUNCTION <name>`	Show function definition
Synonym	`DESC SYNONYM <name>`	Show synonym mapping

Executing DESC statements typically only requires basic view permissions (USAGE or SELECT) on the target object.

DESCRIBE and DESC are equivalent and can be used interchangeably.
Some object types support the EXTENDED parameter to display more information.
DESC HISTORY can view history version information for tables, dynamic tables, and materialized views.