With SQL, you can copy information from one table into another.
The INSERT INTO SELECT statement copies data from one table and inserts it into an existing table.
The INSERT INTO SELECT statement selects data from one table and inserts it into an existing table. Any existing rows in the target table are unaffected.
We can copy all columns from one table to another, existing table:
Or we can copy only the columns we want to into another, existing table:
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
And a selection from the "Suppliers" table:
SupplierID | SupplierName | ContactName | Address | City | Postal Code | Country | Phone |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Exotic Liquid | Charlotte Cooper | 49 Gilbert St. | Londona | EC1 4SD | UK | (171) 555-2222 |
2 | New Orleans Cajun Delights | Shelley Burke | P.O. Box 78934 | New Orleans | 70117 | USA | (100) 555-4822 |
3 | Grandma Kelly's Homestead | Regina Murphy | 707 Oxford Rd. | Ann Arbor | 48104 | USA | (313) 555-5735 |
Copy only a few columns from "Suppliers" into "Customers":
Copy only the German suppliers into "Customers":