SELECT INTO

define a new table from the results of a query

English manual coverage begins with PostgreSQL 6.4. Source history and runtime observations have their own recorded version boundaries.

Reading PG 18·Select a recorded version

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anchor: SQL-SELECTINTO
file: sql-selectinto.html
lang: en
name: SELECT INTO
purpose: define a new table from the results of a query
purpose zh: 根据查询结果定义一个新表
sections same as: Unknown
slug: 18

Syntax

[ WITH [ RECURSIVE ] with_query [, ...] ]
SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT [ ON ( expression [, ...] ) ] ]
[ { * | expression [ [ AS ] output_name ] } [, ...] ]
INTO [ TEMPORARY | TEMP | UNLOGGED ] [ TABLE ] new_table
[ FROM from_item [, ...] ]
[ WHERE condition ]
[ GROUP BY expression [, ...] ]
[ HAVING condition ]
[ WINDOW window_name AS ( window_definition ) [, ...] ]
[ { UNION | INTERSECT | EXCEPT } [ ALL | DISTINCT ] select ]
[ ORDER BY expression [ ASC | DESC | USING operator ] [ NULLS { FIRST | LAST } ] [, ...] ]
[ LIMIT { count | ALL } ]
[ OFFSET start [ ROW | ROWS ] ]
[ FETCH { FIRST | NEXT } [ count ] { ROW | ROWS } ONLY ]
[ FOR { UPDATE | SHARE } [ OF table_name [, ...] ] [ NOWAIT ] [...] ]

Syntax diagrams

Read left to right. Branches are choices, bypasses are optional, loops repeat. Select an underlined parameter to open its rule.

Definition PG 18

[ WITH [ RECURSIVE ] with_query [, ...] ]
SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT [ ON ( expression [, ...] ) ] ]
[ { * | expression [ [ AS ] output_name ] } [, ...] ]
INTO [ TEMPORARY | TEMP | UNLOGGED ] [ TABLE ] new_table
[ FROM from_item [, ...] ]
[ WHERE condition ]
[ GROUP BY expression [, ...] ]
[ HAVING condition ]
[ WINDOW window_name AS ( window_definition ) [, ...] ]
[ { UNION | INTERSECT | EXCEPT } [ ALL | DISTINCT ] select ]
[ ORDER BY expression [ ASC | DESC | USING operator ] [ NULLS { FIRST | LAST } ] [, ...] ]
[ LIMIT { count | ALL } ]
[ OFFSET start [ ROW | ROWS ] ]
[ FETCH { FIRST | NEXT } [ count ] { ROW | ROWS } ONLY ]
[ FOR { UPDATE | SHARE } [ OF table_name [, ...] ] [ NOWAIT ] [...] ]

Description

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

Parameters

TEMPORARY or TEMP: If specified, the table is created as a temporary table. Refer to CREATE TABLE for details.
UNLOGGED: If specified, the table is created as an unlogged table. Refer to CREATE TABLE for details.
new_table: The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created.

All other parameters are described in detail under SELECT.

Notes

CREATE TABLE AS is functionally similar to SELECT INTO. CREATE TABLE AS is the recommended syntax, since this form of SELECT INTO is not available in ECPG or PL/pgSQL, because they interpret the INTO clause differently. Furthermore, CREATE TABLE AS offers a superset of the functionality provided by SELECT INTO.

In contrast to CREATE TABLE AS, SELECT INTO does not allow specifying properties like a table's access method with USING method or the table's tablespace with TABLESPACE tablespace_name. Use CREATE TABLE AS if necessary. Therefore, the default table access method is chosen for the new table. See default_table_access_method for more information.

Examples

Create a new table films_recent consisting of only recent entries from the table films:

SELECT * INTO films_recent FROM films WHERE date_prod >= '2002-01-01';

Compatibility

The SQL standard uses SELECT INTO to represent selecting values into scalar variables of a host program, rather than creating a new table. This indeed is the usage found in ECPG (see Chapter 34) and PL/pgSQL (see Chapter 41). The PostgreSQL usage of SELECT INTO to represent table creation is historical. Some other SQL implementations also use SELECT INTO in this way (but most SQL implementations support CREATE TABLE AS instead). Apart from such compatibility considerations, it is best to use CREATE TABLE AS for this purpose in new code.

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Complete source facts

synopsis html

[ WITH [ RECURSIVE ] <em class="replaceable"><code>with_query</code></em> [, ...] ]
SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT [ ON ( <em class="replaceable"><code>expression</code></em> [, ...] ) ] ]
    [ { * | <em class="replaceable"><code>expression</code></em> [ [ AS ] <em class="replaceable"><code>output_name</code></em> ] } [, ...] ]
    INTO [ TEMPORARY | TEMP | UNLOGGED ] [ TABLE ] <em class="replaceable"><code>new_table</code></em>
    [ FROM <em class="replaceable"><code>from_item</code></em> [, ...] ]
    [ WHERE <em class="replaceable"><code>condition</code></em> ]
    [ GROUP BY <em class="replaceable"><code>expression</code></em> [, ...] ]
    [ HAVING <em class="replaceable"><code>condition</code></em> ]
    [ WINDOW <em class="replaceable"><code>window_name</code></em> AS ( <em class="replaceable"><code>window_definition</code></em> ) [, ...] ]
    [ { UNION | INTERSECT | EXCEPT } [ ALL | DISTINCT ] <em class="replaceable"><code>select</code></em> ]
    [ ORDER BY <em class="replaceable"><code>expression</code></em> [ ASC | DESC | USING <em class="replaceable"><code>operator</code></em> ] [ NULLS { FIRST | LAST } ] [, ...] ]
    [ LIMIT { <em class="replaceable"><code>count</code></em> | ALL } ]
    [ OFFSET <em class="replaceable"><code>start</code></em> [ ROW | ROWS ] ]
    [ FETCH { FIRST | NEXT } [ <em class="replaceable"><code>count</code></em> ] { ROW | ROWS } ONLY ]
    [ FOR { UPDATE | SHARE } [ OF <em class="replaceable"><code>table_name</code></em> [, ...] ] [ NOWAIT ] [...] ]

synopsis text

[ WITH [ RECURSIVE ] with_query [, ...] ]
SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT [ ON ( expression [, ...] ) ] ]
[ { * | expression [ [ AS ] output_name ] } [, ...] ]
INTO [ TEMPORARY | TEMP | UNLOGGED ] [ TABLE ] new_table
[ FROM from_item [, ...] ]
[ WHERE condition ]
[ GROUP BY expression [, ...] ]
[ HAVING condition ]
[ WINDOW window_name AS ( window_definition ) [, ...] ]
[ { UNION | INTERSECT | EXCEPT } [ ALL | DISTINCT ] select ]
[ ORDER BY expression [ ASC | DESC | USING operator ] [ NULLS { FIRST | LAST } ] [, ...] ]
[ LIMIT { count | ALL } ]
[ OFFSET start [ ROW | ROWS ] ]
[ FETCH { FIRST | NEXT } [ count ] { ROW | ROWS } ONLY ]
[ FOR { UPDATE | SHARE } [ OF table_name [, ...] ] [ NOWAIT ] [...] ]

Source references

Full definition and evidence JSON

Definition sources

center · PostgreSQL 18 · wiki-repair-20261023:b0428861b1fd4542851c615796906b8771a84842463ab3d5df534247ead25925

Text language: en · wiki-repair-20261023:b0428861b1fd4542851c615796906b8771a84842463ab3d5df534247ead25925