SQL SELECT INTO – Geek Slack

Getting Started with SQL Server

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SQL SELECT INTO Statement

The SELECT INTO statement is used to create a new table and insert data into it by selecting data from another table.

Syntax

SELECT column1, column2, column3, ...
INTO new_table
FROM existing_table
WHERE condition;

Example: Basic Usage

SELECT customer_id, customer_name, contact_name
INTO CustomersBackup
FROM Customers
WHERE country = 'Germany';

This query creates a new table called CustomersBackup and inserts into it the customer_id, customer_name, and contact_name of customers from Germany.

Example: Copy All Columns

SELECT *
INTO CustomersBackup
FROM Customers
WHERE country = 'Germany';

This query creates a new table called CustomersBackup and inserts all columns of customers from Germany into it.

Sample Tables

Consider the following Customers table:

Customers:
| customer_id | customer_name | contact_name | country |
|-------------|---------------|--------------|---------|
| 1           | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Germany |
| 2           | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Mexico |
| 3           | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mexico |
| 4           | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | UK |
| 5           | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Sweden |

Result of SELECT INTO

After running the first example query, the new table CustomersBackup would look like this:

CustomersBackup:
| customer_id | customer_name | contact_name |
|-------------|---------------|--------------|
| 1           | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders |
| 6           | Blauer See Delikatessen | Hanna Moos |
| 11          | Frankenversand | Peter Franken |
| 13          | G'moritz | Martin Sommer |

Important Notes

The SELECT INTO statement creates a new table in the database by copying selected columns and data from an existing table.
If you only want to insert data into an existing table, use the INSERT INTO SELECT statement instead.