markdown/reference/catalog/pg_description.html.md.erb

---
title: pg_description
---

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The `pg_description` system catalog table stores optional descriptions (comments) for each database object. Descriptions can be manipulated with the `COMMENT` command and viewed with `psql`'s `\d` meta-commands. Descriptions of many built-in system objects are provided in the initial contents of `pg_description`. See also [pg\_shdescription](pg_shdescription.html#topic1), which performs a similar function for descriptions involving objects that are shared across a HAWQ system.

<a id="topic1__gm143898"></a>
<span class="tablecap">Table 1. pg\_catalog.pg\_description</span>

| column         | type    | references     | description                                                                                                  |
|----------------|---------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `objoid`       | oid     | any OID column | The OID of the object this description pertains to.                                                          |
| `classoid`     | oid     | pg\_class.oid  | The OID of the system catalog this object appears in                                                         |
| `objsubid `    | integer |                | For a comment on a table column, this is the column number. For all other object types, this column is zero. |
| `description ` | text    |                | Arbitrary text that serves as the description of this object.                                                |