MySQL INSERT INTO SELECT Statement
The INSERT INTO SELECT statement copies data from one table and inserts it into another table.
The INSERT INTO SELECT statement requires that the data types in source and target tables matches.
Note: The existing records in the target table are unaffected.
INSERT INTO SELECT Syntax
Copy all columns from one table to another table:
INSERT INTO table2
SELECT * FROM table1
WHERE condition;Copy only some columns from one table into another table:
INSERT INTO table2 (column1, column2, column3, ...)
SELECT column1, column2, column3, ...
FROM table1
WHERE condition;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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exotic Liquid | Charlotte Cooper | 49 Gilbert St. | Londona | EC1 4SD | UK |
| 2 | New Orleans Cajun Delights | Shelley Burke | P.O. Box 78934 | New Orleans | 70117 | USA |
| 3 | Grandma Kelly's Homestead | Regina Murphy | 707 Oxford Rd. | Ann Arbor | 48104 | USA |
MySQL INSERT INTO SELECT Examples
The following SQL statement copies "Suppliers" into "Customers" (the columns that are not filled with data, will contain NULL):
Example
INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, City, Country)
SELECT SupplierName, City, Country FROM Suppliers;The following SQL statement copies "Suppliers" into "Customers" (fill all columns):
Example
INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, ContactName, Address, City, PostalCode, Country)
SELECT SupplierName, ContactName, Address, City, PostalCode, Country FROM Suppliers;The following SQL statement copies only the German suppliers into "Customers":
Example
INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, City, Country)
SELECT SupplierName, City, Country FROM Suppliers
WHERE Country='Germany';