The SHOW syntax can be any of the following:
SHOW DATABASES [LIKE expression] SHOW [OPEN] TABLES [FROM database_name] [LIKE expression] SHOW [FULL] COLUMNS FROM table_name [FROM database_name] [LIKE expression] SHOW INDEX FROM table_name [FROM database_name] SHOW TABLE STATUS [FROM database_name] [LIKE expression] SHOW STATUS [LIKE expression] SHOW VARIABLES [LIKE expression] SHOW LOGS SHOW [FULL] PROCESSLIST SHOW GRANTS FOR user SHOW CREATE TABLE table_name SHOW MASTER STATUS SHOW MASTER LOGS SHOW SLAVE STATUS
SHOW lists the databases, tables, or columns, or it provides status information about the server.
The wildcard can be part of the database, table, or fieldname, and it can be a percentage sign (%), meaning a number of characters, or an underscore (_), meaning one character.