---json
{
    "description": "This Howto will show you how to copy the data definition of a SQL table from another SQL table",
    "low_quality_page": "false",
    "name": "Create a table from a table",
    "page_id": "qotxtxkjlhw885z3nse6b"
}
---

====== Tabul - How to create a table from the definition of another table ======


===== About =====
This [[..:howto|Howto]] will show you how to copy the [[docs:resource:structure|data definition]] of a <icon name="carbon:SQL"/> [[docs:resource:sql_table|SQL table]] from another [[docs:resource:sql_table|SQL table]] by using the [[docs:tabul:data:create|Tabul table create command]].

<note important>
This command does not copy the data. It just [[docs:op:create|create]] the structure (ie it performs a SQL ''CREATE'' statement). If you want to copy the data, use the [[docs:tabul:data:transfer|tabul data transfer command]] instead.
</note>
===== Steps =====
==== Start Postgres ====


The next steps will be using the [[howto:postgres:howto_connection_service|postgres howto connection]].

  * You need to [[howto:postgres:howto_connection_service#docker|start the postgres docker image]].
<unit>
<code bash>
tabul service start postgres
</code>
<console>
1 service was started
Name       Type
--------   ------
postgres   docker
</console>
</unit>
  * [[docs:tabul:connection:ping|Ping]] your connection to check that the database is up.

<unit>
<code bash>
tabul connection ping postgres
</code>
<console>
The connection (postgres) has been pinged successfully
</console>
</unit>

==== Create a table from another table  ====

<unit display="none">
Delete the target destination
<code bash>
tabul data drop --no-strict-selection *@postgres
</code>
</unit>

The below command will create:
  * the table ''tpcds_sales'' into the [[howto_connection_service|Postgres Howto connection]]
  * from the data definition of the [[docs:system:tpcds|tpcds]] ''store_sales'' table
  * with the [[docs:tabul:data:create|tabul data create]] command.
<unit>
<code bash>
tabul data create store_sales@tpcds tpcds_sales@postgres
</code>
<note tip>
where:
  * ''store_sales@tpcds'' is a [[docs:flow:data_selector|data selector]]
  * and ''tpcds_sales@postgres'' is a [[docs:flow:template_data_uri|target data URI]]
</note>
<console>
Results of the create operation
input               target
-----------------   --------------------
store_sales@tpcds   tpcds_sales@postgres
</console>
</unit>

==== Check the metadata ====

Check the metadata with the [[docs:tabul:data:describe|tabul data describe]] command
<unit>
<code bash>
tabul data describe tpcds_sales@postgres
</code>
<console>
Structure of the resource tpcds_sales@postgres
position   name                    type      precision   scale   primary_key   nullable   autoincrement   comment
--------   ---------------------   -------   ---------   -----   -----------   --------   -------------   -------
1          ss_sold_date_sk         integer   10          0                     x                          
2          ss_sold_time_sk         integer   10          0                     x                          
3          ss_item_sk              integer   10          0       x                                        
4          ss_customer_sk          integer   10          0                     x                          
5          ss_cdemo_sk             integer   10          0                     x                          
6          ss_hdemo_sk             integer   10          0                     x                          
7          ss_addr_sk              integer   10          0                     x                          
8          ss_store_sk             integer   10          0                     x                          
9          ss_promo_sk             integer   10          0                     x                          
10         ss_ticket_number        integer   10          0       x                                        
11         ss_quantity             integer   10          0                     x                          
12         ss_wholesale_cost       numeric   7           2                     x                          
13         ss_list_price           numeric   7           2                     x                          
14         ss_sales_price          numeric   7           2                     x                          
15         ss_ext_discount_amt     numeric   7           2                     x                          
16         ss_ext_sales_price      numeric   7           2                     x                          
17         ss_ext_wholesale_cost   numeric   7           2                     x                          
18         ss_ext_list_price       numeric   7           2                     x                          
19         ss_ext_tax              numeric   7           2                     x                          
20         ss_coupon_amt           numeric   7           2                     x                          
21         ss_net_paid             numeric   7           2                     x                          
22         ss_net_paid_inc_tax     numeric   7           2                     x                          
23         ss_net_profit           numeric   7           2                     x
</console>
</unit>



==== Next ====

<note tip width="50%">
You can also create a table and its dependencies (foreign tables) at once with the [[docs:tabul:data:create|tabul data create command]].
\\
\\
<btn>
[[howto:sql_schema:create_table_with_dependencies|How to copy a star/snowflake schema ?]]
</btn>
</note>