INSERT (SQL)

Common Set Syntax:

INSERT INTO table-name

(*) [VALUES-clause]
[(column-list)] VALUE-LIST

Extended Set Syntax:

INSERT INTO table-name

(*) [OVERRIDING USER VALUE]   [VALUES-clause]
[(column-list)] [include-columns] [OVERRIDING USER VALUE] VALUE-LIST

This documentcovers the following topics:

For an explanation of the symbols used in the syntax diagram, see Syntax Symbols.

Belongs to Function Group: Database Access and Update

See also INSERT - SQL in the Natural for Db2 part of the Database Management System Interfaces documentation:

INSERT Usage

The SQL INSERT statement is used to add one or more new rows to a table.

INSERT Syntax Description

Syntax Element Description
INTO table-name
INTO Clause:

In the INTO clause, the table is specified into which the new rows are to be inserted.

See further information on table-name.

column-list
Column List:

Syntax:

column-name...

In the column-list, one or more column-names can be specified, which are to be supplied with values in the row currently inserted.

If a column-list is specified, the sequence of the columns must match with the sequence of the values either specified in the insert-item-list or contained in the specified view (see below).

If the column-list is omitted, the values in the insert-item-list or in the specified view are inserted according to an implicit list of all the columns in the order they exist in the table.

include-columns
Include Columns Clause:

Specifies a set of columns that are included, along with the columns of table-name, in the result table of the INSERT statement when it is nested in the FROM clause of a SELECT statement.

For further details, see include-columns.

VALUES-clause
Values Clause:

With the VALUES clause, you insert a single row into the table.

See VALUES Clause below.

OVERRIDING USER VALUE
OVERRIDING USER VALUE Clause:

This clause belongs to the SQL Extended Set.

When you specify this clause, the value specified in the VALUES clause or produced by a fullselect for a column that is defined as GENERATED ALWAYS will be ignored.

VALUES Clause

With the VALUES clause, you insert a single row into the table. Depending on whether an asterisk (*) or a column-list has been specified, the VALUES clause can take one of the following forms:

VALUES Clause with Preceding Asterisk Notation

VALUES (VIEW view-name)

If asterisk notation is specified, a view must be specified in the VALUES clause. With the field values of this view, a new row is inserted into the specified table using the field names of the view as column names of the row.

VALUES Clause with Preceding Column List

[(column-list)] [OVERRIDING USER VALUE] VALUE-LIST

If a column-list is specified and a view is referenced in the VALUES clause, the number of items specified in the column list must correspond to the number of fields defined in the view within the VALUE-LIST.

If no column-list is specified, the fields defined in the view are inserted according to an implicit list of all the columns in the order they exist in the specified table.

VALUE-LIST

Common Set Syntax:

 VALUES

(VIEW view-name)
(insert-item-list)

[FOR-n-ROWS-clause]

Extended Set Syntax:

 VALUES

(VIEW view-name)
(insert-item-list)

[FOR-n-ROWS-clause]

[WITH_CTE common-table-expression,...] select-expression

WITH

RR
RS
CS

[QUERYNO integer]

Syntax Description:

Syntax Element Description
VIEW view-name
View Name:

With the field values of this view, a new row is inserted into the specified table using the field names of the view as column names of the row.

insert-item-list
INSERT Single Row:

In the insert-item-list, you can specify one or more values to be assigned to the columns specified in the column-list. The sequence of the specified values must match the sequence of the columns.

If no column-list is specified, the values in the insert-item-list are inserted according to an implicit list of all the columns in the order they exist in the table.

The values to be specified in the insert-item-list can be constants, parameters, special-registers or NULL.

See the section Basic Syntactical Items for information on view-name, constant and parameter. See also the information on special-register.

If the value NULL has been assigned, this means that the addressed field is to receive no value (not even the value 0 or "blank").

Example - INSERT Single Row:

...
INSERT INTO SQL-PERSONNEL (NAME,AGE)
  VALUES ('ADKINSON',35)
...
FOR-n-ROWS-clause
FOR n Rows Clause:

Optional clause, see FOR-n-ROWS-Clause below.

WITH_CTE common-table-expression
WITH_CTE Clause:

This clause belongs to the SQL Extended Set.

This optional clause permits defining a result table which can be referenced in any FROM clause of the SELECT statement that follows. Multiple common-table-expressions can be specified following the single WITH_CTE keyword. Each common-table-expression can also be referenced in the FROM clause of subsequent common-table-expression.

For more information, see WITH_CTE common-table-expression in the section SELECT - SQL.

select-expression
INSERT Multiple Rows:

This clause belongs to the SQL Extended Set.

With a select-expression, you insert multiple rows into a table. The select-expression is evaluated and each row of the result table is treated as if the values in this row were specified as values in a VALUES Clause of a single-row INSERT operation.

For further information, see Select Expressions.

Example - Insert Multiple Rows:

...
INSERT INTO SQL-RETIREE (NAME,AGE,SEX)
  SELECT LASTNAME, AGE, SEX
  FROM SQL-EMPLOYEES
  WHERE AGE > 60
...

Note:
The number of rows that have actually been inserted can be ascertained by using the system variable *ROWCOUNT.

WITH RR/RS/CS
WITH Isolation Level Clause:

This clause belongs to the SQL Extended Set.

This clause allows the explicit specification of the isolation level used when locating the rows to be inserted.

CS Cursor Stability
RR Repeatable Read
RS Read Stability
QUERYNO_integer
QUERYNO Clause:

This clause belongs to the SQL Extended Set.

This clause explicitly specifies the number to be used in EXPLAIN output and trace records for this statement.

FOR-n-ROWS-Clause

FOR

[:]_host-variable
integer

ROWS [atomic-clause]

This clause is composed of the following subclauses:

FOR [:] hostvariable/integer ROWS Clause

FOR

[:]_host-variable
integer

ROWS

The specification of this clause is optional. It should only be specified, if

If specified, [:]_hostvariable/integer determines the number of rows to be inserted into the Db2 table from the arrays specified in the insert-item-list of the VALUES Clause starting with the first occurrence.

The purpose of this clause is to improve the performance of programs inserting rows from Natural arrays in a loop. By using this clause, the rows contained in the arrays can be inserted by one SQL statement.

See example below.

See also the Natural for Db2 part of the Database Management System Interfaces documentation.

ATOMIC Clause

ATOMIC
NOT ATOMIC CONTINUE ON SQLEXCEPTION

This clause specifies whether the insertion of multiple rows should be treated by DB2 as an atomic operation or not.

It should only be specified, if

  • compiler option DB2ARRY is specified and

  • multiple rows are to be inserted from arrays specified in the insert-item-list of the VALUES Clause.

Syntax Description:

Syntax Element Description
ATOMIC Specifies that in case of any error no row is inserted into the target table.

This is the default value.

NOT ATOMIC CONTINUE ON SQLEXCEPTION Specifies that in case of errors all rows for which no error occurred are inserted while those rows for which errors occurred are discarded by Db2.

See the Db2 SQL REFERENCE for SQLCODEs returned in such cases.

INSERT Example

DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                         
01 NAME        (A20/1:10)  INIT <'ZILLER1','ZILLER2','ZILLER3','ZILLER4'
                                ,'ZILLER5','ZILLER6','ZILLER7','ZILLER8'
                                ,'ZILLER9','ZILLERA'>                  
01 ADDRESS     (A100/1:10) INIT <'ANGEL STREET 1','ANGEL STREET 2'        
                                ,'ANGEL STREET 3','ANGEL STREET 4'        
                                ,'ANGEL STREET 5','ANGEL STREET 6'        
                                ,'ANGEL STREET 7','ANGEL STREET 8'      
                                ,'ANGEL STREET 9','ANGEL STREET 10'>      
01 DATENATD (D/1:10)  INIT <D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27'   
                            ,D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27'    
                            ,D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27',D'1954-03-27'  
                            ,D'1954-03-27'>                               
01 SALARY      (P4.2/1:10) INIT <1000,2000,3000,4000,5000               
                                ,6000,7000,8000,9000,9999>                
01 L§ADDRESS   (I2/1:10) INIT <14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,15>         
01 N§ADDRESS   (I2/1:10) INIT <00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00>             
01 ROWS        (I4)                                               
01 INDEX       (I4)                                                       
01 V1 VIEW OF NAT-DEMO_ID  
02 NAME                                                            
02 ADDRESS     (EM=X(20))                                          
02 DATEOFBIRTH                                                     
02 SALARY                                                          
01 ROWCOUNT  (I4)                                                  
END-DEFINE                                                         
OPTIONS DB2ARRY=ON                  /* <-- ENABLE DB2 ARRAY     
ROWCOUNT := 10                                                     
INSERT INTO NAT-DEMO_ID                                            
       (NAME,ADDRESS,DATEOFBIRTH,SALARY)                           
       VALUES                                                      
       (:NAME(*),                   /* <-- ARRAY                   
        :ADDRESS(*)                 /* <-- ARRAY                   
        INDICATOR :N§ADDRESS(*)     /* <-- ARRAY                   
        LINDICATOR :L§ADDRESS(*),   /* <-- ARRAY DB2 VCHAR         
        :DATENATD(1:10),            /* <-- ARRAY NATURAL DATES     
        :SALARY(01:10)              /* <-- ARRAY NATURAL PACKED    
       )                                                           
       FOR :ROWCOUNT ROWS                                          
SELECT * INTO VIEW V1 FROM NAT-DEMO_ID WHERE NAME > 'Z'            
DISPLAY V1                          /* <-- VERIFY INSERT           
END-SELECT                                                         
END