Snippet Name: Viewing_Column_Values_PGAdmin

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Created Date: 2025-06-16 13:12:44
Last Modified Date: 2025-05-31 10:31:39

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Title: Viewing Column Values PGAdmin
Author: user
I am querying postgres, but one of the columns in PGAdmin4 returns the value "Character varying(200) isntead of the value. how can i see the value?

Author: ChatGPT
When a column in PostgreSQL is displayed as `Character varying(200)` in PGAdmin4, it means that the column's data type is `VARCHAR` with a maximum length of 200 characters. To see the actual value stored in that column, you should query the table using SQL. Here???s how you can do it:

1. **Write a Simple `SELECT` Query**: Use a basic `SELECT` statement to retrieve the data from the table.

    ```sql
    SELECT your_column_name
    FROM your_table_name
    LIMIT 10; -- This limits the result to the first 10 rows; adjust as needed
    ```

    Replace `your_column_name` with the name of the column you're interested in and `your_table_name` with the name of the table.

2. **Check Specific Rows**: If you want to view values for specific rows, you can add a `WHERE` clause to your query.

    ```sql
    SELECT your_column_name
    FROM your_table_name
    WHERE some_column = some_value;
    ```

3. **View All Columns**: If you're unsure which column contains the data you want, you can retrieve all columns for a row by doing:

    ```sql
    SELECT *
    FROM your_table_name
    LIMIT 10;
    ```

    This will show all columns and the data they contain for the first 10 rows.

4. **View Table Structure**: If you need to confirm the data type or check other details of the table structure, you can use the following command to view the schema:

    ```sql
    \d your_table_name
    ```

    This will provide a description of the table, including column names, data types, and other attributes.

By running these queries in PGAdmin4???s Query Tool, you should be able to see the actual values stored in the `VARCHAR` column.