Course/Module 1/Topic 3 of 4Beginner

Creating Tables & Inserting Data

Learn to create database tables with CREATE TABLE and add data with INSERT INTO. This is a foundational concept in database management and queries that professional developers rely on daily. The explanations below are written to be beginner-friendly while covering the depth and nuance that comes from real-world SQL experience. Take your time with each section and practice the examples

25 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026

CREATE TABLE and INSERT INTO

CREATE TABLE defines the structure of a new table — the column names and their data types. INSERT INTO adds new rows of data to a table. Every table should have a primary key column (usually id) that uniquely identifies each row.

SQL Data Types

INT — Whole numbers (age, id, quantity)
VARCHAR(n) — Variable-length text up to n characters (name, email)
TEXT — Long text (descriptions, comments)
DECIMAL(p,s) — Precise decimal numbers (price: DECIMAL(10,2))
DATE — Date: YYYY-MM-DD
BOOLEAN — True or false
PRIMARY KEY — Unique identifier for each row
NOT NULL — Column cannot be empty

CREATE TABLE & INSERT Example

Example

-- Create a students table
CREATE TABLE students (
    id      INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name    VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    age     INT,
    city    VARCHAR(50),
    grade   CHAR(1)
);

-- Insert one student
INSERT INTO students (name, age, city, grade)
VALUES ('Alice', 20, 'Mumbai', 'A');

-- Insert multiple students at once
INSERT INTO students (name, age, city, grade)
VALUES
    ('Bob',     22, 'Delhi',     'B'),
    ('Charlie', 19, 'Bangalore', 'A'),
    ('Diana',   21, 'Mumbai',    'C');

-- Now retrieve all students
SELECT * FROM students;

Try It Yourself: Create & Insert

Try It Yourself: Create & InsertJavaScript

JavaScript Editor

✓ ValidTab = 2 spaces

// Simulating CREATE TABLE and INSERT in JavaScript

// CREATE TABLE students (id INT, name VARCHAR, age INT, city VARCHAR)
let students = [];
let nextId = 1;

// INSERT INTO students VALUES (...)
function insertStudent(name, age, city, grade) {
    students.push({ id: nextId++, name, age, city, grade });
}

// Insert data
insertStudent("Alice",   20, "Mumbai",    "A");
insertStudent("Bob",     22, "Delhi",     "B");
insertStudent("Charlie", 19, "Bangalore", "A");
insertStudent("Diana",   21, "Mumbai",    "C");

// SELECT * FROM students
console.log("=== All Students ===");
students.forEach(s => {
    console.log(`ID:${s.id} | ${s.name} | Age:${s.age} | ${s.city} | Grade:${s.grade}`);
});

console.log("\nTotal rows:", students.length);

Result

Click ▶ Run to see the result

Edit the code on the left, then click Run

JavaScript|24 lines|745 chars|✓ Valid syntax

UTF-8

Quick Quiz

Topics in This Module

Course/Module 1/Topic 3 of 4Beginner

Creating Tables & Inserting Data

25 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026

CREATE TABLE and INSERT INTO

SQL Data Types

INT — Whole numbers (age, id, quantity)
VARCHAR(n) — Variable-length text up to n characters (name, email)
TEXT — Long text (descriptions, comments)
DECIMAL(p,s) — Precise decimal numbers (price: DECIMAL(10,2))
DATE — Date: YYYY-MM-DD
BOOLEAN — True or false
PRIMARY KEY — Unique identifier for each row
NOT NULL — Column cannot be empty

CREATE TABLE & INSERT Example

Example

-- Create a students table
CREATE TABLE students (
    id      INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name    VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    age     INT,
    city    VARCHAR(50),
    grade   CHAR(1)
);

-- Insert one student
INSERT INTO students (name, age, city, grade)
VALUES ('Alice', 20, 'Mumbai', 'A');

-- Insert multiple students at once
INSERT INTO students (name, age, city, grade)
VALUES
    ('Bob',     22, 'Delhi',     'B'),
    ('Charlie', 19, 'Bangalore', 'A'),
    ('Diana',   21, 'Mumbai',    'C');

-- Now retrieve all students
SELECT * FROM students;

Try It Yourself: Create & Insert

Try It Yourself: Create & InsertJavaScript

JavaScript Editor

✓ ValidTab = 2 spaces

// Simulating CREATE TABLE and INSERT in JavaScript

// CREATE TABLE students (id INT, name VARCHAR, age INT, city VARCHAR)
let students = [];
let nextId = 1;

// INSERT INTO students VALUES (...)
function insertStudent(name, age, city, grade) {
    students.push({ id: nextId++, name, age, city, grade });
}

// Insert data
insertStudent("Alice",   20, "Mumbai",    "A");
insertStudent("Bob",     22, "Delhi",     "B");
insertStudent("Charlie", 19, "Bangalore", "A");
insertStudent("Diana",   21, "Mumbai",    "C");

// SELECT * FROM students
console.log("=== All Students ===");
students.forEach(s => {
    console.log(`ID:${s.id} | ${s.name} | Age:${s.age} | ${s.city} | Grade:${s.grade}`);
});

console.log("\nTotal rows:", students.length);

Result

Click ▶ Run to see the result

Edit the code on the left, then click Run

JavaScript|24 lines|745 chars|✓ Valid syntax

UTF-8

Quick Quiz

Topics in This Module

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