Populating Tables

This chapter describes how to use the copy statement, which is the fastest and most flexible method of loading data into tables. It also discusses the fastload operation and the set nologging statement as other methods of loading data.

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.

• The SQL insert statement

  Use the insert statement to enter a small amount of data.

• The append mode of Query-By-Forms (QBF)

  Use QBF for interactive data entry.

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.