SELECT_INTO(7)

1SELECT INTO(7)          PostgreSQL 9.2.24 Documentation         SELECT INTO(7)
2
3
4

NAME

6       SELECT_INTO - define a new table from the results of a query
7

SYNOPSIS

9       [ WITH [ RECURSIVE ] with_query [, ...] ]
10       SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT [ ON ( expression [, ...] ) ] ]
11           * | expression [ [ AS ] output_name ] [, ...]
12           INTO [ TEMPORARY | TEMP | UNLOGGED ] [ TABLE ] new_table
13           [ FROM from_item [, ...] ]
14           [ WHERE condition ]
15           [ GROUP BY expression [, ...] ]
16           [ HAVING condition [, ...] ]
17           [ WINDOW window_name AS ( window_definition ) [, ...] ]
18           [ { UNION | INTERSECT | EXCEPT } [ ALL | DISTINCT ] select ]
19           [ ORDER BY expression [ ASC | DESC | USING operator ] [ NULLS { FIRST | LAST } ] [, ...] ]
20           [ LIMIT { count | ALL } ]
21           [ OFFSET start [ ROW | ROWS ] ]
22           [ FETCH { FIRST | NEXT } [ count ] { ROW | ROWS } ONLY ]
23           [ FOR { UPDATE | SHARE } [ OF table_name [, ...] ] [ NOWAIT ] [...] ]
24

DESCRIPTION

26       SELECT INTO creates a new table and fills it with data computed by a
27       query. The data is not returned to the client, as it is with a normal
28       SELECT. The new table's columns have the names and data types
29       associated with the output columns of the SELECT.
30

PARAMETERS

32       TEMPORARY or TEMP
33           If specified, the table is created as a temporary table. Refer to
34           CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
35
36       UNLOGGED
37           If specified, the table is created as an unlogged table. Refer to
38           CREATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details.
39
40       new_table
41           The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created.
42
43       All other parameters are described in detail under SELECT(7).
44

NOTES

46       CREATE TABLE AS (CREATE_TABLE_AS(7)) is functionally similar to SELECT
47       INTO.  CREATE TABLE AS is the recommended syntax, since this form of
48       SELECT INTO is not available in ECPG or PL/pgSQL, because they
49       interpret the INTO clause differently. Furthermore, CREATE TABLE AS
50       offers a superset of the functionality provided by SELECT INTO.
51
52       Prior to PostgreSQL 8.1, the table created by SELECT INTO included OIDs
53       by default. In PostgreSQL 8.1, this is not the case — to include OIDs
54       in the new table, the default_with_oids configuration variable must be
55       enabled. Alternatively, CREATE TABLE AS can be used with the WITH OIDS
56       clause.
57

EXAMPLES

59       Create a new table films_recent consisting of only recent entries from
60       the table films:
61
62           SELECT * INTO films_recent FROM films WHERE date_prod >= '2002-01-01';
63

COMPATIBILITY

65       The SQL standard uses SELECT INTO to represent selecting values into
66       scalar variables of a host program, rather than creating a new table.
67       This indeed is the usage found in ECPG (see Chapter 33, ECPG - Embedded
68       SQL in C, in the documentation) and PL/pgSQL (see Chapter 39, PL/pgSQL
69       - SQL Procedural Language, in the documentation). The PostgreSQL usage
70       of SELECT INTO to represent table creation is historical. It is best to
71       use CREATE TABLE AS for this purpose in new code.
72