CREATE TABLE

Defines a table in an existing schema.

You can use any of the following different means to create a table for different purposes:

• CREATE TABLE [USING]

  Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

  Use this syntax if the new table will be:

  • Based on a column definition you provide.
  • Derived from data at an existing storage location.
  • Derived from a query.

• CREATE TABLE (Hive format)

  Applies to: Databricks Runtime

  This statement matches CREATE TABLE [USING] using Hive syntax.

  CREATE TABLE [USING] is preferred.

• CREATE TABLE LIKE

  Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

  Using this syntax you create a new table based on the definition, but not the data, of another table.

• CREATE TABLE CLONE

  Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

  You can use table cloning for Delta Lake tables to achieve two major goals:

  • Make a complete, independent copy of a table including its definition and data at a specific version. This is called a DEEP CLONE.
  • Make a copy of the definition of the table which refers to the original table's storage for the initial data at a specific version. Updates, on either the source or the new table will not affect the other. However the new table depends on the source table's existence and column definition.

Related articles

• ALTER TABLE
• DROP TABLE
• CREATE TABLE [USING]
• CREATE TABLE LIKE
• CREATE TABLE CLONE
• CREATE TABLE (Hive format)