You can query the USER_TAB_COLUMNS table for table column metadata.
SELECT table_name, column_name, data_type, data_lengthFROM USER_TAB_COLUMNSWHERE table_name = 'MYTABLE'
In SQL Server...
SELECT [name] AS [Column Name]FROM syscolumnsWHERE id = (SELECT id FROM sysobjects WHERE type = 'V' AND [Name] = 'Your table name')
Type = 'V' for viewsType = 'U' for tables
You can do this:
describe EVENT_LOG
or
desc EVENT_LOG
Note: only applicable if you know the table name and specifically for Oracle.