Why should we use the SQL Cloning
Cloning a table in SQL means making a duplicate copy of an existing table. It’s like making a backup so that you can experiment or work with the data without affecting the original table. This saves you the time and effort of creating a completely new table and re-entering all the same data.
Let’s see the example of SQL Cloning
- To create a clone table with the same structure and data as the original ‘books‘ table
CREATE TABLE books_clone AS
SELECT * FROM books;
- To create a clone table with the same structure as the original ‘books‘ table but without any data
CREATE TABLE books_clone_structure LIKE books;
SQL Cloning or Copying a Table
Cloning or copying a table in SQL is a common task encountered in database management. Whether you’re creating backups, performing testing, or need to duplicate a table structure for various purposes, knowing how to effectively clone or copy a table is essential. In this article, we’ll explore different methods and good practices for achieving this in SQL.
Cloning tables is an operation in SQL that allows us to make a copy of an existing table. The clone table can be just the structure of the original table without any data or an exact copy of the original table.
Note: This Article will be following the MySQL Syntax but cloning operations can be done in other Relational Database Management systems (RDBMS) such as Postgre SQL, and Microsoft SQL Server, and syntax may follow as per their document.