docs/sql-ref-syntax-hive-format.md

---
layout: global
title: Hive Row Format
displayTitle: Hive Row Format
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---

### Description

Spark supports a Hive row format in `CREATE TABLE` and `TRANSFORM` clause to specify serde or text delimiter.
There are two ways to define a row format in `row_format` of `CREATE TABLE` and `TRANSFORM` clauses.
  1. `SERDE` clause to specify a custom SerDe class.
  2. `DELIMITED` clause to specify a delimiter, an escape character, a null character, and so on for the native SerDe.

### Syntax

```sql
row_format:    
    SERDE serde_class [ WITH SERDEPROPERTIES (k1=v1, k2=v2, ... ) ]
    | DELIMITED [ FIELDS TERMINATED BY fields_terminated_char [ ESCAPED BY escaped_char ] ] 
        [ COLLECTION ITEMS TERMINATED BY collection_items_terminated_char ] 
        [ MAP KEYS TERMINATED BY map_key_terminated_char ]
        [ LINES TERMINATED BY row_terminated_char ]
        [ NULL DEFINED AS null_char ]
```

### Parameters
   
* **SERDE serde_class**

    Specifies a fully-qualified class name of custom SerDe.

* **SERDEPROPERTIES**

    A list of key-value pairs that is used to tag the SerDe definition.

* **FIELDS TERMINATED BY**

    Used to define a column separator.
    
* **COLLECTION ITEMS TERMINATED BY**

    Used to define a collection item separator.
   
* **MAP KEYS TERMINATED BY**

    Used to define a map key separator.
    
* **LINES TERMINATED BY**

    Used to define a row separator.
    
* **NULL DEFINED AS**

    Used to define the specific value for NULL.
    
* **ESCAPED BY**

    Used for escape mechanism.