CREATE TABLE AS — define a new table from the results of a query
CREATE [ [ GLOBAL | LOCAL ] { TEMPORARY | TEMP } | UNLOGGED ] TABLE [ IF NOT EXISTS ] table_name
[ (column_name [, ...] ) ]
[ WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] ) | WITH OIDS | WITHOUT OIDS ]
[ ON COMMIT { PRESERVE ROWS | DELETE ROWS | DROP } ]
[ TABLESPACE tablespace_name ]
AS query
[ WITH [ NO ] DATA ]
CREATE TABLE AS creates a table and fills it with data computed by a SELECT command. The table columns have the names and data types associated with the output columns of the SELECT (except that you can override the column names by giving an explicit list of new column names).
CREATE TABLE AS bears some resemblance to creating a view, but it is really quite different: it creates a new table and evaluates the query just once to fill the new table initially. The new table will not track subsequent changes to the source tables of the query. In contrast, a view re-evaluates its defining SELECT statement whenever it is queried.
GLOBAL or LOCALIgnored for compatibility. Use of these keywords is deprecated; refer to CREATE TABLE for details.
TEMPORARY or TEMPIf specified, the table is created as a temporary table. Refer to CREATE TABLE for details.
UNLOGGEDIf specified, the table is created as an unlogged table. Refer to CREATE TABLE for details.
IF NOT EXISTSDo not throw an error if a relation with the same name already exists; simply issue a notice and leave the table unmodified.
table_nameThe name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created.
column_nameThe name of a column in the new table. If column names are not provided, they are taken from the output column names of the query.
WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] )This clause specifies optional storage parameters for the new table; see Storage Parameters for more information. The WITH clause can also include OIDS=TRUE (or just OIDS) to specify that rows of the new table should have OIDs (object identifiers) assigned to them, or OIDS=FALSE to specify that the rows should not have OIDs. See CREATE TABLE for more information.
WITH OIDSWITHOUT OIDSThese are obsolescent syntaxes equivalent to WITH (OIDS) and WITH (OIDS=FALSE), respectively. If you wish to give both an OIDS setting and storage parameters, you must use the WITH ( ... ) syntax; see above.
ON COMMITThe behavior of temporary tables at the end of a transaction block can be controlled using ON COMMIT. The three options are:
PRESERVE ROWSNo special action is taken at the ends of transactions. This is the default behavior.
DELETE ROWSAll rows in the temporary table will be deleted at the end of each transaction block. Essentially, an automatic TRUNCATE is done at each commit.
DROPThe temporary table will be dropped at the end of the current transaction block.
TABLESPACE tablespace_nameThe tablespace_name is the name of the tablespace in which the new table is to be created. If not specified, default_tablespace is consulted, or temp_tablespaces if the table is temporary.
queryA SELECT, TABLE, or VALUES command, or an EXECUTE command that runs a prepared SELECT, TABLE, or VALUES query.
WITH [ NO ] DATAThis clause specifies whether or not the data produced by the query should be copied into the new table. If not, only the table structure is copied. The default is to copy the data.
This command is functionally similar to SELECT INTO, but it is preferred since it is less likely to be confused with other uses of the SELECT INTO syntax. Furthermore, CREATE TABLE AS offers a superset of the functionality offered by SELECT INTO.
The CREATE TABLE AS command allows the user to explicitly specify whether OIDs should be included. If the presence of OIDs is not explicitly specified, the default_with_oids configuration variable is used.
Create a new table films_recent consisting of only recent entries from the table films:
CREATE TABLE films_recent AS SELECT * FROM films WHERE date_prod >= '2002-01-01';
To copy a table completely, the short form using the TABLE command can also be used:
CREATE TABLE films2 AS TABLE films;
Create a new temporary table films_recent, consisting of only recent entries from the table films, using a prepared statement. The new table has OIDs and will be dropped at commit:
PREPARE recentfilms(date) AS
SELECT * FROM films WHERE date_prod > $1;
CREATE TEMP TABLE films_recent WITH (OIDS) ON COMMIT DROP AS
EXECUTE recentfilms('2002-01-01');
CREATE TABLE AS conforms to the SQL standard. The following are nonstandard extensions:
The standard requires parentheses around the subquery clause; in PostgreSQL, these parentheses are optional.
In the standard, the WITH [ NO ] DATA clause is required; in PostgreSQL it is optional.
PostgreSQL handles temporary tables in a way rather different from the standard; see CREATE TABLE for details.
The WITH clause is a PostgreSQL extension; neither storage parameters nor OIDs are in the standard.
The PostgreSQL concept of tablespaces is not part of the standard. Hence, the clause TABLESPACE is an extension.