Unformatted and Formatted Copying
The COPY statement can perform either a formatted or an unformatted copy.
• An unformatted copy is a fast method of copying an entire table.
No column names are specified in an unformatted copy. For example:
TABLE emp ()
The entire table is moved, byte for byte, with no record delimiters or data type conversions.
• A formatted copy is performed on selected columns of data (which can include all columns), with type conversions being performed as necessary during the copy.
One or more column names are specified in a formatted copy. For example:
TABLE emp (eno=INTEGER, ename=CHAR(10))
Although this type of copy is not as fast as an unformatted copy, it allows you to fully control the columns copied, the column order, and the data type conversions to be performed. A formatted copy can be used to load or unload a human readable (text) data file.