MySQL ALTER: Making Changes Easy（mysqlalter）

Altering a database is an intimidating task that most developers put off as long as possible. Luckily, MySQL provides an easy way to make changes quickly, securely, and effortlessly with their ALTER statement. ALTER, which stands for ALTeration, is a type of SQL command used to modify existing databases or table fields. MySQL ALTER can help you manage, modify, and update existing databases and table fields, making them suitable for different uses.

Before using the ALTER statement, it’s important to keep in mind the following:

1. Backup your database before making changes! This is absolutely essential. Just in case something goes awry, it’s always better to have a backup.

2. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the changes you’re about to make. It’s possible to do a great deal of damage to a database if changes are not performed correctly.

3. Check if any applications connected to the database need to be updated in order to take advantage of new features or Structural changes.

Now, let’s take a look at how to use the ALTER statement. It’s divided into two sections—ALTER TABLE and ALTER VIEW.

ALTER TABLE helps to manage existing tables. As the name implies, ALTER TABLE can be used to add, delete, and modify columns, modify the data type of columns, rename columns and even add table constraints.

One example of ALTER TABLE is to add a new column. This can be done with the following SQL syntax:

ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD COLUMN column_name datatype(length/precision);
``` 
The example above adds a new column called column_name to the table table_name, with the specified data type (length/precision).

ALTER VIEW also lets you modify existing views. It helps you to perform operations such as adding, deleting and/or modifying columns, changing the select query, adding new WHERE and ORDER BY clauses, and more.

One example of ALTER VIEW is to modify the select query. This can be done with the following SQL syntax: 

ALTER VIEW view_name

AS SELECT column1, column2,…

FROM table_name

WHERE condition;

The example above modifies the select query for view_name to get column1, column2 and so on from the table_name where the condition holds.

In summary, MySQL ALTER is an invaluable tool for making quick, secure and effortless changes to your database. Keep the points discussed above in mind when dealing with ALTER statements and use the SQL syntaxes discussed to perform the modifications.