Les 05

5
Creating and Managing Tables
Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Objectives
After completing this lesson you should be able to do

the following:
• Create and maintain tables by using the CREATE,
ALTER, DROP, RENAME, and TRUNCATE statements
• Use the data dictionary to view and maintain
information about tables
• Create and maintain integrity constraints
• Discuss constraint states
5-2 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Displaying Table Structure
Use the DESCRIBE command to display the structure of

a table:
DESC[RIBE] tablename

Displaying Table Structure
DESCRIBE employees

Referencing Another User’s Tables
• To refer to tables in schemas other than your own,

prefix the table name with the schema name:
schema.table
• For example, the DESC TABLE hr.employees
statement displays the structure of the EMPLOYEES
table in the HR schema.
• Constraints must reference tables in the same
schema.

The CREATE TABLE Statement
• Syntax:
CREATE [GLOBAL TEMPORARY] TABLE [schema.]table
(column datatype [DEFAULT expr]
[column_constraint],
...
[table_constraint]);
• Example:
CREATE TABLE dept
(deptno NUMBER(2),
dname VARCHAR2(14),
loc VARCHAR2(13) DEFAULT 'CA');
Table created.
• To confirm table creation:

DESCRIBE dept

Creating a Table
Using a Subquery
Syntax:
CREATE TABLE table
[column(, column...)]
AS subquery;
CREATE TABLE dept30

AS
SELECT *
FROM dept
WHERE deptno = 30;
Table created.
DESCRIBE dept30

Altering Table Structure
Use the ALTER TABLE statement to:

• Add, modify, or remove columns
• Add or remove constraints
• Enable or disable constraints
• Define a default value for a new column
ALTER TABLE table
ADD (column datatype [DEFAULT expr] [NOT NULL]
[, column datatype]...);
ALTER TABLE table

MODIFY (column datatype [DEFAULT expr] [NOT NULL]
[, column datatype]...);

Adding a Column
• Add a column to an existing table by using the

ALTER TABLE statement with the ADD clause.
• For example, to add a column named JOB to the
DEPT30 table:
ALTER TABLE dept30
ADD (job VARCHAR2(9));
Table altered.
• The JOB column becomes the last column in the

table.

Modifying and Dropping Columns
Modify a column definition by using the ALTER TABLE

statement with the MODIFY clause.
• You can change a column’s data type, size, default
value, and NOT NULL column constraint.
• A change to the default value affects only
subsequent insertions to the table.
ALTER TABLE dept30
MODIFY (job VARCHAR2(50));
Table altered.
• You use the DROP COLUMN clause to free space in
the database by dropping columns you no longer
need.
ALTER TABLE dept30
DROP COLUMN job ;
Table altered.

Marking a Column as Unused
• You use the SET UNUSED option to mark one or

more columns as unused.
• You then use the DROP UNUSED COLUMNS option
to remove the columns that are marked as unused.
ALTER TABLE table
SET UNUSED (column);
OR
ALTER TABLE table
SET UNUSED COLUMN column;
ALTER TABLE table

DROP UNUSED COLUMNS;

Guaranteeing Data Integrity
Database Integrity
Data trigger constraint
Application
code
Table

Understanding Constraints
Constraint Description
NOT NULL Specifies that a column cannot contain null
values
UNIQUE Designates a column or combination of
columns as unique
PRIMARY KEY Designates a column or combination of
columns as the table’s primary key
FOREIGN KEY Designates a column or combination of
columns as the foreign key in a referential
integrity constraint
CHECK Specifies a condition that each row of the
table must satisfy

Defining Constraints
CREATE TABLE [schema.]table

(column datatype [DEFAULT expr]
[column_constraint],
...
[table_constraint]);
Column-level constraint:
column [CONSTRAINT constraint_name] constraint_type,
Table-level constraint:
column,...
[CONSTRAINT constraint_name] constraint_type
(column, ...),

Guidelines for Defining Constraints
• Primary and unique constraints:

– Place indexes in a separate tablespace
– Use nonunique indexes if bulk loads are frequent
• Self-referencing foreign keys:
– Define or enable foreign keys after initial loading
– Defer constraint checking

Adding a Constraint
Add constraints to a table or column by using the

ALTER TABLE statement with the ADD clause:
Syntax:
ALTER TABLE table
ADD [CONSTRAINT constraint] type (column);
Example:
Add a FOREIGN KEY constraint to the EMP table,
indicating that a manager must already exist as a valid
employee in the EMP table.
ALTER TABLE emp
ADD CONSTRAINT emp_mgr_fk
FOREIGN KEY(mgr) REFERENCES emp(empno);
Table altered.

Disabling and Enabling Constraints
• Execute the DISABLE clause of the ALTER TABLE

statement to deactivate an integrity constraint.
ALTER TABLE emp
DISABLE CONSTRAINT emp_empno_pk CASCADE;
Table altered.
• Activate an integrity constraint currently disabled

in the table definition by using the ENABLE clause.
ALTER TABLE emp
ENABLE CONSTRAINT emp_empno_pk;
Table altered.

Deferring Constraint Checking
DML statement
Check nondeferred
constraints
COMMIT
Check deferred
constraints

Changing the Enforcement of Constraints
• Use the SET CONSTRAINTS statement to make

constraints either deferred or immediate.
• The ALTER SESSION statement also has clauses
to define constraints as deferred or immediate.

Enforcing Primary and Unique Key
Constraints
Yes Is an index Yes Yes Is the

Key available Constraint
index non-
enabled? for use? deferrable?
unique?
No No Yes
Constraint Yes Use existing index

deferrable?
No No
Create Create
Do not use
unique nonunique
index
index index

Maintaining Tables in a Foreign Key
Relationship
Consider the following factors in maintaining tables

that are in a foreign key relationship:
Desired Action Appropriate Solution
Drop parent table Cascade constraints
Truncate parent table Disable or drop foreign key
Drop tablespace Use the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS
containing parent table clause
Run DML operations on Ensure the tablespace containing
child table the parent key is online

Dropping a Constraint
• Remove the manager constraint from the EMP

table.
ALTER TABLE emp
DROP CONSTRAINT emp_mgr_fk;
Table altered.
• Remove the PRIMARY KEY constraint from the
DEPT table and drop the associated FOREIGN KEY
constraint into the EMP.DEPTNO column.
ALTER TABLE dept
DROP PRIMARY KEY CASCADE;
Table altered.

Cascading Constraints
• You use the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS option to

drop all referential integrity constraints that refer
to the primary and unique keys on the dropped
columns.
• CASCADE CONSTRAINTS is an option in the ALTER
TABLE DROP statement.

Renaming a Table
• To change the name of a table, execute the

RENAME statement.
• You must be the owner of the object.
RENAME dept TO department;

Table renamed.

Truncating a Table
• The TRUNCATE TABLE statement:

– Removes all rows from a table
– Releases the storage space used by that table
TRUNCATE TABLE department;

Table truncated.
• You cannot roll back row removal when using

TRUNCATE.
• Alternatively, you can remove rows by using the
DELETE statement.

Dropping a Table
The DROP TABLE PURGE statement:

• Deletes all data and the table structure
• Commits any pending transactions
• Drops all indexes
DROP TABLE dept30 PURGE;

Table dropped.
You cannot roll back this statement.

Adding Comments to a Table
• You can add comments to a table or column by

using the COMMENT statement.
COMMENT ON TABLE emp
IS 'Employee Information';
Comment created.
• Comments can be viewed through the following
data dictionary views:
– ALL_COL_COMMENTS
– USER_COL_COMMENTS
– ALL_TAB_COMMENTS
– USER_TAB_COMMENTS

Understanding the Types of Tables in the
Oracle Database
• User tables:
– Are created and maintained by the user
– Contain user information
• Data dictionaries:
– Are created and maintained by the Oracle server
– Contain database information

Querying the Data Dictionary
• Describe tables owned by the user.

SELECT *
FROM user_tables;
• View distinct object types owned by the user.

SELECT DISTINCT object_type
FROM user_objects;
• View tables, views, synonyms, and sequences
owned by the user.
SELECT *
FROM user_catalog;

Viewing Constraints
• Query the USER_CONSTRAINTS table to view all

constraint definitions and names.
SELECT constraint_name, constraint_type,
search_condition
FROM user_constraints
WHERE table_name = 'EMP';
• View the columns associated with the constraint

names in the USER_CONS_COLUMNS view.
SELECT constraint_name, column_name
FROM user_cons_columns
WHERE table_name = 'EMP';

Summary
In this lesson, you should have learned how to do the

following:
• Create and maintain tables with these statements:
Statement Description
CREATE TABLE Creates a table
ALTER TABLE Modifies table structures
DROP TABLE Removes the rows and table structures
RENAME Changes the name of a table, view,
sequence, or synonym
TRUNCATE Removes all rows from a table and
releases the storage space
COMMENT Adds comments to a table or view

Summary
• Create the following types of constraints:

– NOT NULL
– UNIQUE
– PRIMARY KEY
– FOREIGN KEY
– CHECK
• Use data dictionary views to retrieve table,
column, and constraint information.

Practice 5: Overview
This practice covers the following topics:

• Creating a new table:
– Containing constraints
– Using the CREATE TABLE AS syntax
• Altering existing tables by:
– Adding a column
– Adding a column constraint
– Modifying an existing column definition
• Dropping a table
• Adding comments to a table
• Verifying that tables exist and displaying
information in the data dictionary


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5

Creating and Managing Tables

Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

After completing this lesson you should be able to do

5-2 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Use the DESCRIBE command to display the structure of

5-3 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

5-4 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• To refer to tables in schemas other than your own,

5-5 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• To confirm table creation:

5-6 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

CREATE TABLE dept30

5-9 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Use the ALTER TABLE statement to:

ALTER TABLE table

5-11 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Add a column to an existing table by using the

• The JOB column becomes the last column in the

5-12 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Modify a column definition by using the ALTER TABLE

5-13 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• You use the SET UNUSED option to mark one or

ALTER TABLE table

5-15 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

5-17 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

5-19 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

CREATE TABLE [schema.]table

5-20 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Primary and unique constraints:

5-23 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Add constraints to a table or column by using the

5-25 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Execute the DISABLE clause of the ALTER TABLE

• Activate an integrity constraint currently disabled

5-26 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

5-29 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Use the SET CONSTRAINTS statement to make

5-30 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Yes Is an index Yes Yes Is the

Constraint Yes Use existing index

5-31 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Consider the following factors in maintaining tables

5-32 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Remove the manager constraint from the EMP

5-34 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• You use the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS option to

5-35 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• To change the name of a table, execute the

RENAME dept TO department;

5-37 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• The TRUNCATE TABLE statement:

TRUNCATE TABLE department;

• You cannot roll back row removal when using

5-38 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

The DROP TABLE PURGE statement:

DROP TABLE dept30 PURGE;

You cannot roll back this statement.

5-39 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• You can add comments to a table or column by

5-40 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

5-41 Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

• Describe tables owned by the user.