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Create a table in Azure Cosmos DB for Table using .NET

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APPLIES TO: Table

Tables in Azure Cosmos DB for Table are units of management for multiple items. Before you can create or manage items, you must first create a table.

Name a table

In Azure Cosmos DB, a table is analogous to a table in a relational database.

Note

With API for Table accounts, when you create your first table, a default database is automatically created in your Azure Cosmos DB account.

Here are some quick rules when naming a table:

  • Keep table names between 3 and 63 characters long
  • Table names can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, or the dash (-) character.
  • Table names must start with a lowercase letter or number.

Create a table

To create a table, call one of the following methods:

Create a table asynchronously

The following example creates a table asynchronously:

// New instance of TableClient class referencing the server-side table
TableClient tableClient1 = client.GetTableClient(
    tableName: "adventureworks-1"
);

await tableClient1.CreateAsync();

The TableCient.CreateAsync method will throw an exception if a database with the same name already exists.

Create a table asynchronously if it doesn't already exist

The following example creates a table asynchronously only if it doesn't already exist on the account:

// New instance of TableClient class referencing the server-side table
TableClient tableClient2 = client.GetTableClient(
    tableName: "adventureworks-2"
);

await tableClient2.CreateIfNotExistsAsync();

The TableClient.CreateIfNotExistsAsync method will only create a new table if it doesn't already exist. This method is useful for avoiding errors if you run the same code multiple times.

Next steps

Now that you've created a table, use the next guide to create items.

Create an item