SQL Commands

This part contains reference information for the SQL commands supported by PostgreSQL . By "SQL" the language in general is meant; information about the standards conformance and compatibility of each command can be found on the respective reference page.

Table of Contents
ABORT -- abort the current transaction
ALTER AGGREGATE -- change the definition of an aggregate function
ALTER COLLATION -- change the definition of a collation
ALTER CONVERSION -- change the definition of a conversion
ALTER DATABASE -- change a database
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES -- define default access privileges
ALTER DOMAIN -- change the definition of a domain
ALTER EXTENSION -- change the definition of an extension
ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER -- change the definition of a foreign-data wrapper
ALTER FOREIGN TABLE -- change the definition of a foreign table
ALTER FUNCTION -- change the definition of a function
ALTER GROUP -- change role name or membership
ALTER INDEX -- change the definition of an index
ALTER LANGUAGE -- change the definition of a procedural language
ALTER LARGE OBJECT -- change the definition of a large object
ALTER OPERATOR -- change the definition of an operator
ALTER OPERATOR CLASS -- change the definition of an operator class
ALTER OPERATOR FAMILY -- change the definition of an operator family
ALTER ROLE -- change a database role
ALTER SCHEMA -- change the definition of a schema
ALTER SEQUENCE -- change the definition of a sequence generator
ALTER SERVER -- change the definition of a foreign server
ALTER TABLE -- change the definition of a table
ALTER TABLESPACE -- change the definition of a tablespace
ALTER TEXT SEARCH CONFIGURATION -- change the definition of a text search configuration
ALTER TEXT SEARCH DICTIONARY -- change the definition of a text search dictionary
ALTER TEXT SEARCH PARSER -- change the definition of a text search parser
ALTER TEXT SEARCH TEMPLATE -- change the definition of a text search template
ALTER TRIGGER -- change the definition of a trigger
ALTER TYPE -- change the definition of a type
ALTER USER -- change a database role
ALTER USER MAPPING -- change the definition of a user mapping
ALTER VIEW -- change the definition of a view
ANALYZE -- collect statistics about a database
BEGIN -- start a transaction block
CHECKPOINT -- force a transaction log checkpoint
CLOSE -- close a cursor
CLUSTER -- cluster a table according to an index
COMMENT -- define or change the comment of an object
COMMIT -- commit the current transaction
COMMIT PREPARED -- commit a transaction that was earlier prepared for two-phase commit
COPY -- copy data between a file and a table
CREATE AGGREGATE -- define a new aggregate function
CREATE CAST -- define a new cast
CREATE COLLATION -- define a new collation
CREATE CONVERSION -- define a new encoding conversion
CREATE DATABASE -- create a new database
CREATE DOMAIN -- define a new domain
CREATE EXTENSION -- install an extension
CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER -- define a new foreign-data wrapper
CREATE FOREIGN TABLE -- define a new foreign table
CREATE FUNCTION -- define a new function
CREATE GROUP -- define a new database role
CREATE INDEX -- define a new index
CREATE LANGUAGE -- define a new procedural language
CREATE OPERATOR -- define a new operator
CREATE OPERATOR CLASS -- define a new operator class
CREATE OPERATOR FAMILY -- define a new operator family
CREATE ROLE -- define a new database role
CREATE RULE -- define a new rewrite rule
CREATE SCHEMA -- define a new schema
CREATE SEQUENCE -- define a new sequence generator
CREATE SERVER -- define a new foreign server
CREATE TABLE -- define a new table
CREATE TABLE AS -- define a new table from the results of a query
CREATE TABLESPACE -- define a new tablespace
CREATE TEXT SEARCH CONFIGURATION -- define a new text search configuration
CREATE TEXT SEARCH DICTIONARY -- define a new text search dictionary
CREATE TEXT SEARCH PARSER -- define a new text search parser
CREATE TEXT SEARCH TEMPLATE -- define a new text search template
CREATE TRIGGER -- define a new trigger
CREATE TYPE -- define a new data type
CREATE USER -- define a new database role
CREATE USER MAPPING -- define a new mapping of a user to a foreign server
CREATE VIEW -- define a new view
DEALLOCATE -- deallocate a prepared statement
DECLARE -- define a cursor
DELETE -- delete rows of a table
DISCARD -- discard session state
DO -- execute an anonymous code block
DROP AGGREGATE -- remove an aggregate function
DROP CAST -- remove a cast
DROP COLLATION -- remove a collation
DROP CONVERSION -- remove a conversion
DROP DATABASE -- remove a database
DROP DOMAIN -- remove a domain
DROP EXTENSION -- remove an extension
DROP FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER -- remove a foreign-data wrapper
DROP FOREIGN TABLE -- remove a foreign table
DROP FUNCTION -- remove a function
DROP GROUP -- remove a database role
DROP INDEX -- remove an index
DROP LANGUAGE -- remove a procedural language
DROP OPERATOR -- remove an operator
DROP OPERATOR CLASS -- remove an operator class
DROP OPERATOR FAMILY -- remove an operator family
DROP OWNED -- remove database objects owned by a database role
DROP ROLE -- remove a database role
DROP RULE -- remove a rewrite rule
DROP SCHEMA -- remove a schema
DROP SEQUENCE -- remove a sequence
DROP SERVER -- remove a foreign server descriptor
DROP TABLE -- remove a table
DROP TABLESPACE -- remove a tablespace
DROP TEXT SEARCH CONFIGURATION -- remove a text search configuration
DROP TEXT SEARCH DICTIONARY -- remove a text search dictionary
DROP TEXT SEARCH PARSER -- remove a text search parser
DROP TEXT SEARCH TEMPLATE -- remove a text search template
DROP TRIGGER -- remove a trigger
DROP TYPE -- remove a data type
DROP USER -- remove a database role
DROP USER MAPPING -- remove a user mapping for a foreign server
DROP VIEW -- remove a view
END -- commit the current transaction
EXECUTE -- execute a prepared statement
EXPLAIN -- show the execution plan of a statement
FETCH -- retrieve rows from a query using a cursor
GRANT -- define access privileges
INSERT -- create new rows in a table
LISTEN -- listen for a notification
LOAD -- load a shared library file
LOCK -- lock a table
MOVE -- position a cursor
NOTIFY -- generate a notification
PREPARE -- prepare a statement for execution
PREPARE TRANSACTION -- prepare the current transaction for two-phase commit
REASSIGN OWNED -- change the ownership of database objects owned by a database role
REINDEX -- rebuild indexes
RELEASE SAVEPOINT -- destroy a previously defined savepoint
RESET -- restore the value of a run-time parameter to the default value
REVOKE -- remove access privileges
ROLLBACK -- abort the current transaction
ROLLBACK PREPARED -- cancel a transaction that was earlier prepared for two-phase commit
ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT -- roll back to a savepoint
SAVEPOINT -- define a new savepoint within the current transaction
SECURITY LABEL -- define or change a security label applied to an object
SELECT -- retrieve rows from a table or view
SELECT INTO -- define a new table from the results of a query
SET -- change a run-time parameter
SET CONSTRAINTS -- set constraint check timing for the current transaction
SET ROLE -- set the current user identifier of the current session
SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION -- set the session user identifier and the current user identifier of the current session
SET TRANSACTION -- set the characteristics of the current transaction
SHOW -- show the value of a run-time parameter
START TRANSACTION -- start a transaction block
TRUNCATE -- empty a table or set of tables
UNLISTEN -- stop listening for a notification
UPDATE -- update rows of a table
VACUUM -- garbage-collect and optionally analyze a database
VALUES -- compute a set of rows