SELECT INTO(7) PostgreSQL 18.6 Documentation SELECT INTO(7) NAME SELECT_INTO - define a new table from the results of a query SYNOPSIS [ 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 out- put columns of the SELECT. PARAMETERS TEMPORARY or TEMP If specified, the table is created as a temporary table. Refer to CRE- ATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details. UNLOGGED If specified, the table is created as an unlogged table. Refer to CRE- ATE TABLE (CREATE_TABLE(7)) for details. new_table The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be created. All other parameters are described in detail under SELECT(7). 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. Fur- thermore, 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 prop- erties like a table's access method with USING method or the table's table- space 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 histori- cal. 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. SEE ALSO CREATE TABLE AS (CREATE_TABLE_AS(7)) PostgreSQL 18.6 2026 SELECT INTO(7)
NAME | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | PARAMETERS | NOTES | EXAMPLES | COMPATIBILITY | SEE ALSO
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