Prisma Enum to SQL CREATE TYPE and ENUM

Enum Conversion by Dialect

Prisma enums are a way to define a set of allowed values for a field. Each SQL dialect handles enums differently, and the converter produces the correct syntax for each.

Example Prisma Schema

enum Status {
  DRAFT
  PUBLISHED
  ARCHIVED
}

model Article {
  id     Int    @id @default(autoincrement())
  title  String
  status Status @default(DRAFT)

  @@map("articles")
}

PostgreSQL Output

CREATE TYPE status AS ENUM (
  'DRAFT',
  'PUBLISHED',
  'ARCHIVED'
);

CREATE TABLE articles (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  status status NOT NULL DEFAULT 'DRAFT'
);

PostgreSQL has a native CREATE TYPE ... AS ENUM feature that creates a true enumerated type. The column type references this named type.

MySQL Output

CREATE TABLE articles (
  id INTEGER NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  status ENUM('DRAFT', 'PUBLISHED', 'ARCHIVED') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'DRAFT'
);

MySQL uses an inline ENUM(...) column type. The allowed values are listed directly in the column definition.

SQLite Output

CREATE TABLE articles (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'DRAFT',
  CHECK (status IN ('DRAFT', 'PUBLISHED', 'ARCHIVED'))
);

SQLite has no native enum type. The converter uses a TEXT column with a CHECK constraint to enforce the allowed values.

Multiple Enums

You can define as many enums as needed. Each generates its own CREATE TYPE (PostgreSQL) or is used inline (MySQL/SQLite). Enum names follow the same snake_case conversion rules as table names.