How to get/generate the create statement for an existing hive table?

Conquering multiple-table scenarios

Handling a large number of tables? No problem! A shell script can effortlessly generate create statements for all of them:

hive -e 'SHOW TABLES IN database_name' | xargs -I '{}' echo "SHOW CREATE TABLE database_name.{};" | hive > all_tables_ddl.sql


In this script, we iterate each table in database_name and direct all the resultant create statements into a single .sql file. Time to sit back and enjoy your coffee ☕!

Automating your way forward

Creating automating scripts utilizing Beeline combined with shell scripts eliminates the need for manual labor. You can easily go through each database and table and generate .hql files for each of them. Now you have all your create statements literally at your fingertips!

An in-depth look using "describe formatted "

If you need an insider's perspective on your table, nothing works better than:

describe formatted dbname.tablename;


This command transcends what SHOW CREATE TABLE typically offers, enabling you to gaze into the depths of your table's internals- a real life-saver during troubleshooting!

Checking for Spot-On Accuracy

Occasionally, you may come across discrepancies or errors in the output statements. This might be due to the specific Hive version you are utilizing. Always cross-verify with the release notes of your Hive version to ensure SHOW CREATE TABLE supports all your requirements.

Text File Outputs

Want to do some version control or create documentation? Redirect the output to a .txt or .hql file:

SHOW CREATE TABLE my_table > my_table_ddl.hql;


This is a one-liner solution to rapidly generate documents for your schema, creating an organized and shared repository of DDL statements.

Dealing with Views and Complicated Structures

Not just tables, SHOW CREATE TABLE command also handles views, SerDe properties, and custom storage handlers. The command generates comprehensive scripts that are ready to be executed in any Hive environment, bypassing the headache of manual scripting.