Import data with the INSERT statement

Use the INSERT statement to add rows to the database. Because the import data for your destination table is included in the INSERT statement, it is considered interactive input. You can also use the INSERT statement with remote data access to import data from another database rather than a file.

Use the INSERT statement to import data when you:

  • want to import small amounts of data into a single table

  • are flexible with your file formats

  • want to import remote data from an external database rather than from a file

The INSERT statement provides an ON EXISTING clause to specify the action to take if a row you are inserting is already found in the destination table. However, if you anticipate many rows qualifying for the ON EXISTING condition, consider using the MERGE statement instead. The MERGE statement provides more control over the actions you can take for matching rows. It also provides a more sophisticated syntax for defining what constitutes a match. See MERGE statement.

 Considerations for materialized views
 Considerations for text indexes
 Impact on the database
 See also