MySQL has powerful search features, but most users only utilize search for actual data records.

A often useful feature is the ability to search amongst column names.

For example, let's say you need to go through an entire application to find all sections that use a "sort order" column when displaying data through the interface. There is a new bit of interface logic you need to add to each of those sections.

Without knowing every page that uses a "sort order" column when displaying data, you could query the database to find all tables that have a field containing the word "sort":

SELECT table_name, column_name
FROM information_schema.columns
WHERE column_name LIKE '%sort%';

An example of the results I get when issuing this query on a particular database server:

As you can see, it quickly found all of the different tables that have a field containing the word "sort." This helps me pinpoint which interface sections need attention.

information_schema is installed by default for every MySQL server, and contains information about all of the other databases on the server, and is itself a MySQL database, which can be searched upon or accessed in the same way as databases you create.

Here is an example view from phpMyAdmin: