Up to now you read tables that exist. Now you make your own.

The statement

CREATE TABLE suppliers (
  id      integer,
  name    text,
  country text
);

• Put the columns in parentheses. Write a comma between each two columns.
• Each column is a name followed by a data type: the types from Chapter 1 (integer, text, numeric, date, boolean). The next lesson shows more types.
• The columns of the table are in the order you write them.

The new table has its columns and no rows:

A statement that changes the database returns no rows. The Result tab shows the statement and done. The new table also gets its own tab.

Names

• Use letters, digits and _. Start with a letter. Do not use spaces.
• PostgreSQL changes a name to lower case. CREATE TABLE Suppliers makes the table suppliers.
• Write names in lower case, with _ between words: order_items, signup_date.
• A keyword such as order or user is not a valid name. CREATE TABLE order (…) gives a syntax error. Use another name, such as orders.

A name that is already used

Two tables cannot have the same name. When you run the statement a second time, PostgreSQL stops:

ERROR: relation "suppliers" already exists

IF NOT EXISTS tells PostgreSQL to skip the statement when the table exists:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS suppliers (
  id      integer,
  name    text,
  country text
);

NOTICE: relation "suppliers" already exists, skipping

IF NOT EXISTS looks only at the name. It does not compare the columns. When the old table has other columns, it keeps them.