MySQL in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

ENCODE()

Synopsis

ENCODE(string, password)

This function encrypts a given string in binary format and locks it with the password. You should not use this function for the password column in the user table of the mysql database. Use PASSWORD() instead. Here is an example:

UPDATE teachers
SET pwd = ENCODE('test', 'oreilly')
WHERE teacher_id = '730522';

The function here encrypts the word test and locks it with the oreilly password. The results are stored in the pwd column for the chosen teacher. To unlock the results, use the DECODE() function with the same password.