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 SQL INSERT INTO SELECT Statement
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.
SQL INSERT INTO SELECT Syntax
We can copy all columns from one table to another, existing table:
INSERT INTO table2
SELECT * FROM table1;
Or we can copy only the columns we want to into another, existing table:
INSERT INTO table2
(column_name(s))
SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table1;
Demo Database
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 |
SQL INSERT INTO SELECT Examples
Copy only a few columns from "Suppliers" into "Customers":
Example
INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, Country)
SELECT SupplierName, Country FROM Suppliers;
Copy only the German suppliers into "Customers":
Example
INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, Country)
SELECT SupplierName, Country FROM Suppliers
WHERE Country='Germany';
