SQL CREATE DATABASE

Here is a clear and practical guide to the SQL CREATE DATABASE statement, with syntax for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and Oracle.

What SQL CREATE DATABASE Does

CREATE DATABASE creates a new database on the server.
Inside it, you can then create tables, views, stored procedures, etc.

ANSI SQL Basic Syntax

Most SQL engines support this form with small variations.

MySQL — CREATE DATABASE

Create with charset and collation:

Check if database exists:

PostgreSQL

Create with owner and encoding:

List databases:

SQL Server

Create with file configuration:

Oracle — CREATE DATABASE

(Usually done via DBCA or admin tools, but SQL is possible.)

CREATE DATABASE mydb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY strongpassword
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY strongpassword
LOGFILE GROUP 1 ('/u01/oradata/mydb/redo1.log') SIZE 100M,
GROUP 2 ('/u01/oradata/mydb/redo2.log') SIZE 100M
CHARACTER SET AL32UTF8
NATIONAL CHARACTER SET AL16UTF16;

CREATE DATABASE mydb

USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY strongpassword

USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY strongpassword

LOGFILE GROUP 1 ('/u01/oradata/mydb/redo1.log') SIZE 100M,

GROUP 2 ('/u01/oradata/mydb/redo2.log') SIZE 100M

CHARACTER SET AL32UTF8

NATIONAL CHARACTER SET AL16UTF16;

Oracle database creation is complex and typically done by DBAs.

Selecting / Switching Databases

MySQL:

PostgreSQL:

SQL Server:

Best Practices

Use meaningful names (e.g., hr_db, inventory, analytics)
Choose consistent character sets (UTF8/UTF8MB4 recommended)
Ensure permissions for the database owner
Follow naming conventions (no spaces, lowercase recommended)
Avoid using reserved keywords as database names