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INSERT

The "INSERT" statement is used to add new rows of data to a table in a database. There are two main forms of the INSERT command: INSERT INTO which, if columns are not named, expects a full set of columns, and INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, ...) where only named columns will be filled with data.

Usage​

  1. Insert full set of columns:

Code example:

INSERT INTO table_name 
VALUES (value1, value2, ..., valueN);

In the example above, you need to provide values for all columns available in the table.

  1. Selectively insert data:

Code example:

INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, ..., columnN)  
VALUES (value1, value2, ..., valueN);

Here, you only provide values for certain columns of the table. Other columns will take on their default values (if any).

  1. Insert data from another table:

Another useful form of the INSERT command is INSERT INTO SELECT, which allows you to copy data from one table and add it into another table.

Code example:

INSERT INTO table1 (column1, column2, ... , columnN)
SELECT column1, column2, ... , columnN 
FROM table2 
WHERE condition;

In this scenario, table2 should already have the data we need and the WHERE clause can be used to select only those rows that satisfy certain conditions.

Note: The crucial point is that your columns in both SELECT and INSERT INTO command must be in same order and their datatypes must be compatible.

Kindly ensure that database table has enough space to hold inserted data, else it will resulting in OVERFLOW error.

Note: Always make sure to provide correct and compatible data types for the columns. The SQL engine won't allow you to add data that doesn't match the column's declared data type.