INSERT rows into multiple tables in a single query, selecting from an involved table
Final version
... after some more info from OP. Consider this demo:
-- DROP TABLE foo; DROP TABLE bar;
CREATE TEMP TABLE bar (
id serial PRIMARY KEY -- using a serial column!
,z integer NOT NULL
);
CREATE TEMP TABLE foo (
id serial PRIMARY KEY -- using a serial column!
,x integer NOT NULL
,y integer NOT NULL
,bar_id integer UNIQUE NOT NULL REFERENCES bar(id)
);
Insert values - bar
first.
It would be very helpful if you provided test data in your question like this!
INSERT INTO bar (id,z) VALUES
(100, 7)
,(101,16)
,(102,21);
INSERT INTO foo (id, x, y, bar_id) VALUES
(1, 3,4,100)
,(2, 9,6,101)
,(3,18,0,102);
Set sequences to current values or we get duplicate key violations:
SELECT setval('foo_id_seq', 3);
SELECT setval('bar_id_seq', 102);
Checks:
-- SELECT nextval('foo_id_seq')
-- SELECT nextval('bar_id_seq')
-- SELECT * from bar;
-- SELECT * from foo;
Query:
WITH a AS (
SELECT f.x, f.y, bar_id, b.z
FROM foo f
JOIN bar b ON b.id = f.bar_id
WHERE x > 3
),b AS (
INSERT INTO bar (z)
SELECT z
FROM a
RETURNING z, id AS bar_id
)
INSERT INTO foo (x, y, bar_id)
SELECT a.x, a.y, b.bar_id
FROM a
JOIN b USING (z);
This should do what your last update describes.
The query assumes that z
is UNIQUE
. If z
is not unique, it gets more complex. Refer to Query 2 in this related answer for a ready solution using the window function row_number()
in this case.
Also, consider replacing the 1:1 relation between foo
and bar
with a single united table.
Data modifying CTE
Second answer after more info.
If you want to add rows to foo
and bar
in a single query, you can use a data modifying CTE since PostgreSQL 9.1:
WITH x AS (
INSERT INTO bar (col1, col2)
SELECT f.col1, f.col2
FROM foo f
WHERE f.id BETWEEN 12 AND 23 -- some filter
RETURNING col1, col2, bar_id -- assuming bar_id is a serial column
)
INSERT INTO foo (col1, col2, bar_id)
SELECT col1, col2, bar_id
FROM x;
I draw values from foo
, insert them in bar
, have them returned together with an auto-generated bar_id
and insert that into foo
. You can use any other data, too.
Here is a working demo to play with on sqlfiddle.
Basics
Original answer with basic information before clarifications.
The basic form is:
INSERT INTO foo (...)
SELECT ... FROM foo WHERE ...
No parenthesis needed. You can do the same with any table
INSERT INTO foo (...)
SELECT ... FROM bar WHERE ...
And you can join to the table you insert into in the SELECT:
INSERT INTO foo (...)
SELECT f.col1, f.col2, .. , b.bar_id
FROM foo f
JOIN bar b USING (foo_id); -- present in foo and bar
It's just a SELECT like any other - that can include the table you are inserting into. The rows are first read, and then inserted.
Related videos on Youtube
foldl
I'm a linguist who loves to code. Recently I've been writing Haskell, Elm, Python and Go. I’m most experienced with web development, but I’m also comfortable diving down into assembly or programming microcontrollers in C.
Updated on July 09, 2022Comments
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foldl almost 2 years
I have two tables of the following form (i.e., every foo is linked to exactly one bar).
CREATE TABLE foo ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, x INTEGER NOT NULL, y INTEGER NOT NULL, ..., bar_id INTEGER UNIQUE NOT NULL, FOREIGN key (bar_id) REFERENCES bar(id) ); CREATE TABLE bar ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, z INTEGER NOT NULL, ... );
It's easy to copy rows in
foo
which meet a particular condition using a nested query:INSERT INTO foo (...) (SELECT ... FROM foo WHERE ...)
But I can't figure out how to make a copy of the associated row in
bar
for each row infoo
and insert the id ofbar
into the newfoo
row. Is there any way of doing this in a single query?Concrete example of desired result:
-- Before query: foo(id=1,x=3,y=4,bar_id=100) ..... bar(id=100,z=7) foo(id=2,x=9,y=6,bar_id=101) ..... bar(id=101,z=16) foo(id=3,x=18,y=0,bar_id=102) ..... bar(id=102,z=21) -- Query copies all pairs of foo/bar rows for which x>3: -- Originals foo(id=1,x=3,y=4,bar_id=101) ..... bar(id=101,z=7) foo(id=2,x=9,y=6,bar_id=102) ..... bar(id=102,z=16) foo(id=3,x=18,y=0,bar_id=103) ..... bar(id=103,z=21) -- "Copies" of foo(id=2,...) and foo(id=3,...), with matching copies of -- bar(id=102,...) and bar(id=103,...) foo(id=4,x=9,y=6,bar_id=104) ..... bar(id=104,z=16) foo(id=5,x=18,y=0,bar_id=105) ..... bar(id=105,z=21)
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Chris Gessler almost 12 yearsHave you looked into updatable views with an insert rule? archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-admin/2006-05/msg00290.php
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Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 yearsIs the value for
bar.z
unique? -
foldl almost 12 yearsWell, thank you for your additional answer. I guess it is just not possible to do this in any general way in a single query.
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Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 yearsWhy would you say that? I provided proof to the contrary.
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foldl almost 12 yearsWell, there's a simple explanation. I said it before you added a link to the answer which doesn't assume that 'z' is unique :) It seems the only practical solution is to merge the two tables, however, as you suggest.
-
Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 yearsJust means that the answer is assuming that for lack of information. Follow my link for a solution with non-unique
z
. As I said before: you can do pretty much anything - as soon as you get a grasp on the code. ;) -
foldl almost 12 yearsYes, I saw the link. Thanks. I was just saying that (at least in my case) it makes more sense to merge the two tables than write such complex queries.
-
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foldl almost 12 yearsBut this query won't copy the
bar
rows, right? The newfoo
rows will be linked to the oldbar
rows, rather than copies of them. -
Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 years@foldl: I am not following. This query will
INSERT
what ever theSELECT
returns into the tablefoo
. The new rows infoo
are just like any other row. What do you mean by "linked"? -
foldl almost 12 yearsI just mean that the query won't add any new rows to
bar
. I want to insert a new row inbar
for every new row inserted infoo
. -
Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 years@foldl: The query add rows to foo, nothing else. You can only add rows to one table in a single INSERT statement in PostgreSQL. You can link multiple INSERTs together with the new data modifying CTEs. Will add an example to my answer if you clarify what you want to achieve in your question. Please edit the last paragraph.
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foldl almost 12 yearsYes, I know that a single INSERT statement can only add rows to one table; that's why I was asking the question in the first place. I'm not really sure how to modify the question. I just want to copy a subset of the rows in
foo
, and make corresponding copies of rows inbar
(so that the new rows infoo
are appropriately linked to the new rows inbar
viabar_id
). -
foldl almost 12 yearsAh, thanks for this answer, very helpful! Annoyingly enough, I'd tried exactly this, but because I had parens around the inner "SELECT", the columns of foo weren't visible in my returning statement...
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foldl almost 12 yearsHmm, it's not clear to me how you copy the values from old rows in
foo
into new rows infoo
, though. In the example, the new rows offoo
draw their values from the new rows ofbar
, not from the originalfoo
rows. -
foldl almost 12 yearsOr rather, it seems that this will work only if you're inserting the same values into
bar
as intofoo
. -
Erwin Brandstetter almost 12 years@foldl: You can do pretty much anything. If you make clear what you want (in your question, like I requested), I can adapt my answer. I added a bit of explanation.
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foldl almost 12 yearsOk thanks, I've added a concrete example of the desired result. The thing is that in my case it is not possible to, as it were, "move the value into
foo
viabar
"; I hope the example will make it clearer what I mean by this.