Show External Tables (SHOW EXTERNAL TABLES)

Description

The SHOW TABLES command with the WHERE is_external=true condition lists all external tables under a specified schema.

Syntax

SHOW TABLES [ IN schema_name ] [ WHERE is_external=true ] [ LIMIT num ]

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
IN schema_name	No	Specifies the schema name to query. If omitted, uses the current schema
WHERE is_external=true	No	Filter condition that restricts results to external tables only
LIMIT num	No	Limits the number of returned records

Return Columns

Column	Type	Description
schema_name	string	Name of the schema containing the external table
table_name	string	Name of the external table
is_view	boolean	Whether it is a regular view; false for external tables
is_materialized_view	boolean	Whether it is a materialized view; false for external tables
is_external	boolean	Whether it is an external table; true for external tables
is_dynamic	boolean	Whether it is a dynamic table; false for external tables

Examples

Example 1: List all external tables in the current schema

SHOW TABLES WHERE is_external=true;

Example 2: List all external tables in a specified schema

SHOW TABLES IN doc_test WHERE is_external=true;

Sample result:

+-------------+-----------------+---------+----------------------+-------------+------------+ | schema_name | table_name | is_view | is_materialized_view | is_external | is_dynamic | +-------------+-----------------+---------+----------------------+-------------+------------+ | doc_test | ext_orders_v2 | false | false | true | false | +-------------+-----------------+---------+----------------------+-------------+------------+

Example 3: Limit the number of returned records

SHOW TABLES IN doc_test WHERE is_external=true LIMIT 10;

Notes

• SHOW TABLES returns all types of table objects. Use WHERE is_external=true to show only external tables.
• External table data is stored in external storage (such as OSS, S3). Dropping an external table does not delete the underlying data files.
• To view the full DDL of an external table (including LOCATION and CONNECTION information), use SHOW CREATE TABLE <table_name>.

Related Commands

• CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE: Create an external table
• DROP EXTERNAL TABLE: Drop an external table
• SHOW CREATE TABLE: View the DDL of an external table