1CREATE TABLE AS(7) PostgreSQL 15.4 Documentation CREATE TABLE AS(7)
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6 CREATE_TABLE_AS - define a new table from the results of a query
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9 CREATE [ [ GLOBAL | LOCAL ] { TEMPORARY | TEMP } | UNLOGGED ] TABLE [ IF NOT EXISTS ] table_name
10 [ (column_name [, ...] ) ]
11 [ USING method ]
12 [ WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] ) | WITHOUT OIDS ]
13 [ ON COMMIT { PRESERVE ROWS | DELETE ROWS | DROP } ]
14 [ TABLESPACE tablespace_name ]
15 AS query
16 [ WITH [ NO ] DATA ]
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19 CREATE TABLE AS creates a table and fills it with data computed by a
20 SELECT command. The table columns have the names and data types
21 associated with the output columns of the SELECT (except that you can
22 override the column names by giving an explicit list of new column
23 names).
24 CREATE TABLE AS bears some resemblance to creating a view, but it is
26 really quite different: it creates a new table and evaluates the query
27 just once to fill the new table initially. The new table will not track
28 subsequent changes to the source tables of the query. In contrast, a
29 view re-evaluates its defining SELECT statement whenever it is queried.
30 CREATE TABLE AS requires CREATE privilege on the schema used for the
32 table.
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35 GLOBAL or LOCAL
36 Ignored for compatibility. Use of these keywords is deprecated;
37 refer to CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
38 TEMPORARY or TEMP
40 If specified, the table is created as a temporary table. Refer to
41 CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
42 UNLOGGED
44 If specified, the table is created as an unlogged table. Refer to
45 CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
46 IF NOT EXISTS
48 Do not throw an error if a relation with the same name already
49 exists; simply issue a notice and leave the table unmodified.
50 table_name
52 The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created.
53 column_name
55 The name of a column in the new table. If column names are not
56 provided, they are taken from the output column names of the query.
57 USING method
59 This optional clause specifies the table access method to use to
60 store the contents for the new table; the method needs be an access
61 method of type TABLE. See Chapter 63 for more information. If this
62 option is not specified, the default table access method is chosen
63 for the new table. See default_table_access_method for more
64 information.
65 WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] )
67 This clause specifies optional storage parameters for the new
68 table; see Storage Parameters in the CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7))
69 documentation for more information. For backward-compatibility the
70 WITH clause for a table can also include OIDS=FALSE to specify that
71 rows of the new table should contain no OIDs (object identifiers),
72 OIDS=TRUE is not supported anymore.
73 WITHOUT OIDS
75 This is backward-compatible syntax for declaring a table WITHOUT
76 OIDS, creating a table WITH OIDS is not supported anymore.
77 ON COMMIT
79 The behavior of temporary tables at the end of a transaction block
80 can be controlled using ON COMMIT. The three options are:
81 PRESERVE ROWS
83 No special action is taken at the ends of transactions. This is
84 the default behavior.
85 DELETE ROWS
87 All rows in the temporary table will be deleted at the end of
88 each transaction block. Essentially, an automatic TRUNCATE is
89 done at each commit.
90 DROP
92 The temporary table will be dropped at the end of the current
93 transaction block.
94 TABLESPACE tablespace_name
96 The tablespace_name is the name of the tablespace in which the new
97 table is to be created. If not specified, default_tablespace is
98 consulted, or temp_tablespaces if the table is temporary.
99 query
101 A SELECT, TABLE, or VALUES command, or an EXECUTE command that runs
102 a prepared SELECT, TABLE, or VALUES query.
103 WITH [ NO ] DATA
105 This clause specifies whether or not the data produced by the query
106 should be copied into the new table. If not, only the table
107 structure is copied. The default is to copy the data.
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110 This command is functionally similar to SELECT INTO (SELECT_INTO(7)),
111 but it is preferred since it is less likely to be confused with other
112 uses of the SELECT INTO syntax. Furthermore, CREATE TABLE AS offers a
113 superset of the functionality offered by SELECT INTO.
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116 Create a new table films_recent consisting of only recent entries from
117 the table films:
118 CREATE TABLE films_recent AS
120 SELECT * FROM films WHERE date_prod >= '2002-01-01';
121 To copy a table completely, the short form using the TABLE command can
123 also be used:
124 CREATE TABLE films2 AS
126 TABLE films;
127 Create a new temporary table films_recent, consisting of only recent
129 entries from the table films, using a prepared statement. The new table
130 will be dropped at commit:
131 PREPARE recentfilms(date) AS
133 SELECT * FROM films WHERE date_prod > $1;
134 CREATE TEMP TABLE films_recent ON COMMIT DROP AS
135 EXECUTE recentfilms('2002-01-01');
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138 CREATE TABLE AS conforms to the SQL standard. The following are
139 nonstandard extensions:
140 • The standard requires parentheses around the subquery clause; in
142 PostgreSQL, these parentheses are optional.
143 • In the standard, the WITH [ NO ] DATA clause is required; in
145 PostgreSQL it is optional.
146 • PostgreSQL handles temporary tables in a way rather different from
148 the standard; see CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
149 • The WITH clause is a PostgreSQL extension; storage parameters are
151 not in the standard.
152 • The PostgreSQL concept of tablespaces is not part of the standard.
154 Hence, the clause TABLESPACE is an extension.
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157 CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW (CREATE_MATERIALIZED_VIEW(7)), CREATE TABLE
158 (CREATE_TABLE(7)), EXECUTE(7), SELECT(7), SELECT INTO (SELECT_INTO(7)),
159 VALUES(7)
160PostgreSQL 15.4 2023 CREATE TABLE AS(7)