CREATE TABLE AS(7)

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

SYNOPSIS

CREATE [ [ LOCAL ] { TEMPORARY | TEMP } ] TABLE table_name [ (column_name [, ...] ) ]
    AS query

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

[LOCAL] TEMPORARY or [LOCAL] 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. Multiple column names can be specified using a comma-delimited list of column names. If column names are not provided, they are taken from the output column names of the query.

query
    A query statement (that is, a SELECT command). Refer to SELECT [select(7)] for a description of the allowed syntax.

DIAGNOSTICS

Refer to CREATE TABLE [create_table(7)] and SELECT [select(7)] for a summary of possible output messages.

NOTES

This command is functionally equivalent 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.

COMPATIBILITY

This command is modeled after an Oracle feature. There is no command with equivalent functionality in SQL92 or SQL99. However, a combination of CREATE TABLE and INSERT ... SELECT can accomplish the same thing with little more effort.

HISTORY

The CREATE TABLE AS command has been available since PostgreSQL 6.3.

SEE ALSO
CREATE TABLE [create_table(7)], CREATE VIEW [create_view(l)], SELECT [select(l)], SELECT INTO [select_into(l)]