Populating Tables
Methods of Populating Tables
You can load data into tables using the following methods:
• COPY statement
The COPY statement is a good method to use for loading large quantities of data quickly from files, and is flexible in dealing with record formats.
• INSERT statement
Use the INSERT statement to enter a small amount of data.
• Append mode of Query-By-Forms (QBF)
Use QBF for interactive data entry.
• FASTLOAD command
Use the FASTLOAD command for high speed loading of unformatted data from a file. FASTLOAD is much less flexible than COPY, and is designed for specialized loading situations.
The INSERT statement and the QBF append mode, as alternatives to the COPY statement, provide the most potential for customized validity checking and appending to more than one table at a time. For more information on these alternatives, see the SQL Reference Guide and the Character-based Querying and Reporting Tools User Guide, respectively.