How the BIT_XOR() function works in Mariadb?

MariaDB’s BIT_XOR() function is used to perform a bitwise exclusive OR (XOR) operation on all bits in a given expression.

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The MariaDB BIT_XOR() function is used to perform a bitwise exclusive OR (XOR) operation on all bits in a given expression. This function is useful in scenarios where you need to compare binary values and determine which bits are different between them.

Syntax

The syntax for the MariaDB BIT_XOR() function is as follows:

BIT_XOR(expr)

This function takes an expression expr as an argument and returns the result of the bitwise XOR operation.

Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage

To illustrate the basic usage of BIT_XOR(), consider the following SQL statement:

SELECT BIT_XOR(6);

+------------+
| BIT_XOR(6) |
+------------+
|          6 |
+------------+

The output is 6 because the bitwise XOR of 6 (which is 110 in binary) with itself is 000, but since this is an aggregate function, without other rows to compare, it returns the input value.

Example 2: XOR Operation with Multiple Numbers

This example demonstrates how BIT_XOR() operates with multiple numbers:

SELECT BIT_XOR(6 ^ 3);

+----------------+
| BIT_XOR(6 ^ 3) |
+----------------+
|              5 |
+----------------+

The output is 5 because the bitwise XOR of 6 (110 in binary) and 3 (011 in binary) is 101.

Example 3: XOR Operation with No Rows

Here’s what happens when there are no matching rows:

SELECT BIT_XOR(NULL);

+---------------+
| BIT_XOR(NULL) |
+---------------+
|             0 |
+---------------+

When no rows match, BIT_XOR() returns 0.

Example 4: XOR Operation with Large Numbers

Let’s see how BIT_XOR() works with larger numbers:

SELECT BIT_XOR(1024 ^ 2048);

+----------------------+
| BIT_XOR(1024 ^ 2048) |
+----------------------+
|                 3072 |
+----------------------+

The output is 3072 because the bitwise XOR of 1024 (10000000000 in binary) and 2048 (100000000000 in binary) is 3072 (110000000000 in binary).

Here are a few functions related to MariaDB’s BIT_XOR():

  • MariaDB’s BIT_AND() function is used to perform a bitwise AND operation on all bits in an expression.
  • MariaDB’s BIT_OR() function is used to perform a bitwise OR operation on all bits in an expression.
  • MariaDB’s BIT_COUNT() function is used to count the number of bits that are set in an expression.

Conclusion

The BIT_XOR() function in MariaDB is an essential tool for bitwise comparison of binary values. It is especially useful in scenarios where identifying differences between sets of binary data is required. By understanding how to use BIT_XOR() and related functions, one can effectively manipulate and analyze binary data within a database.