CREATE TABLE AS(7)                                        SQL Commands                                        CREATE TABLE AS(7)



NAME
       CREATE TABLE AS - define a new table from the results of a query


SYNOPSIS
       CREATE [ [ GLOBAL | LOCAL ] { TEMPORARY | TEMP } ] TABLE table_name
           [ (column_name [, ...] ) ]
           [ WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] ) | WITH OIDS | WITHOUT OIDS ]
           [ ON COMMIT { PRESERVE ROWS | DELETE ROWS | DROP } ]
           [ TABLESPACE tablespace ]
           AS query
           [ WITH [ NO ] DATA ]


DESCRIPTION
       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.

PARAMETERS
       GLOBAL or LOCAL
              Ignored for compatibility. Refer to CREATE TABLE [create_table(7)] for details.

       TEMPORARY or TEMP
              If specified, the table is created as a temporary table.  Refer to CREATE TABLE [create_table(7)] for details.

       table_name
              The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created.

       column_name
              The  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. If the table is created from an EXECUTE command, a column name list cannot be specified.

       WITH ( storage_parameter [= value] [, ... ] )
              This clause specifies optional storage parameters for the new table; see Storage Parameters [create_table(7)]  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 [create_table(7)] for more information.

       WITH OIDS

       WITHOUT OIDS
              These  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 COMMIT
              The behavior of temporary tables at the end of a transaction block can be controlled using ON COMMIT.   The  three
              options are:

              PRESERVE ROWS
                     No special action is taken at the ends of transactions.  This is the default behavior.

              DELETE ROWS
                     All rows in the temporary table will be deleted at the end of each transaction block. Essentially, an auto-
                     matic TRUNCATE [truncate(7)] is done at each commit.

              DROP   The temporary table will be dropped at the end of the current transaction block.

       TABLESPACE tablespace
              The tablespace 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.

       query  A  SELECT  [select(7)],  TABLE, or VALUES [values(7)] command, or an EXECUTE [execute(7)] command that runs a pre-
              pared SELECT, TABLE, or VALUES query.

       WITH [ NO ] DATA
              This 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.

NOTES
       This  command  is functionally similar to SELECT INTO [select_into(7)], 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.

       Prior  to  PostgreSQL 8.0, CREATE TABLE AS always included OIDs in the table it created. As of PostgreSQL 8.0, 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. As of PostgreSQL 8.1, this variable is false
       by default, so the default behavior is not identical to pre-8.0 releases. Applications that require  OIDs  in  the  table
       created by CREATE TABLE AS should explicitly specify WITH (OIDS) to ensure proper behavior.

EXAMPLES
       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');


COMPATIBILITY
       CREATE TABLE AS conforms to the SQL standard. The following are nonstandard extensions:

       o The standard requires parentheses around the subquery clause; in PostgreSQL, these parentheses are optional.

       o In the standard, the WITH [ NO ] DATA clause is required; in PostgreSQL it is optional.

       o PostgreSQL handles temporary tables in a way rather different from the standard; see CREATE TABLE [create_table(7)] for
         details.

       o The WITH clause is a PostgreSQL extension; neither storage parameters nor OIDs are in the standard.

       o The PostgreSQL concept of tablespaces is not part of the standard. Hence, the clause TABLESPACE is an extension.

SEE ALSO
       CREATE  TABLE  [create_table(7)],  EXECUTE  [execute(7)],  SELECT [select(7)], SELECT INTO [select_into(7)], VALUES [val-
       ues(7)]



SQL - Language Statements                                  2011-09-22                                         CREATE TABLE AS(7)