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INSERT Statement

Syntax

INSERT INTO table_identifier (column_identifier[,...] )
            stream_expression  [RETURNING target_list]

Substitutable Fields

table_identifier:

The unique identifier (name) of the table into which to insert the new entries.

column_identifier:

The unique identifier (name) of a column into which a new value will be inserted.

stream_expression:

A stream expression, for example a SELECT clause, which provides the values to be inserted into the table.

target_list:

One or more entries, separated by commas, of the format target_list_entry.

target_list_entry:

A value, of the format scalar_expression [AS output_field_identifier], to be included in the result set returned by the statement.

scalar_expression:

An expression that generates a value for the tuple that is returned by the insert operation. Values may be obtained from a tuple field, from a simple function, or from the table. Optionally, the name for a value may be modified through an AS clause.

output_field_identifier:

A unique identifier (name) for the tuple field that contains a value returned by the insert operation.

Discussion

The INSERT statement inserts a new row into an existing table.

With the INSERT statement, the INTO clause lists the table fields that will be populated with data. The stream_expression is a SELECT clause against a stream whose tuples contain the data that will be entered into the table. Its target list identifies the tuple fields that will provide the content for each table field.

If all of the tuple fields will be entered into the table, and the fields are in an order that corresponds to the order of table fields, use * as the target list. Otherwise the target list must explicitly extract each tuple field, as illustrated below.

SELECT * FROM stream_identifier
SELECT tuple_field_identifier[, ...] FROM stream_identifier

In the RETURNING clause, scalar_expression may specify a value from the stream and/or from the table. For example:

INSERT ...
  RETURNING tuple_field_identifier [AS ...][, ...],
            column_identifier [AS ...][, ...]

The result set generated by the RETURNING clause must be captured into a stream. You may use the CREATE STREAM statement to define a stream and the INTO keyword to populate the stream with the content generated by the RETURNING clause. Alternatively, in a single statement you may use the => (arrow) operator with a CREATE STREAM statement, as illustrated below.

CREATE STREAM stream_identifier;
INSERT ... RETURNING ... INTO stream_identifier;

Or

INSERT ... RETURNING ... => CREATE STREAM stream_identifier