INSERT INTO in SQL

The INSERT INTO statement adds new data to an existing table.

INSERT INTO Students
VALUES (1, 'Rahul', 20);

This statement inserts one student record into the Students table.

The basic syntax is:

INSERT INTO table_name
VALUES (value1, value2, value3);

The order of values must match the order of columns in the table.

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    age INT
);

Now we can insert records into this table.

INSERT INTO Students
VALUES (1, 'Rahul', 20);

This inserts one row into the Students table.

Multiple records can be inserted using a single INSERT statement.

INSERT INTO Students
VALUES
(1, 'Rahul', 20),
(2, 'Priya', 21),
(3, 'Amit', 19);

This statement inserts three records.

It is generally better to specify the column names when inserting data.

INSERT INTO Students (id, name, age)
VALUES (1, 'Rahul', 20);

This makes the query easier to understand and maintain.

You can insert values into only selected columns.

INSERT INTO Students (id, name)
VALUES (2, 'Priya');

The age column is not specified in this query. Its value depends on the column definition, such as a default value or whether NULL is allowed.

Text values are normally written inside single quotes.

INSERT INTO Students (id, name, age)
VALUES (3, 'Amit', 22);

Here, Amit is a text value.

Numeric values such as integers do not normally require quotes.

INSERT INTO Students (id, name, age)
VALUES (4, 'Neha', 23);

Here, 4 and 23 are numeric values.

Date values can be inserted into a DATE column.

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    admission_date DATE
);

Insert a date:

INSERT INTO Students
(id, name, admission_date)
VALUES
(1, 'Rahul', '2026-09-20');

Decimal values can be inserted into columns such as DECIMAL.

CREATE TABLE Courses (
    id INT,
    course_name VARCHAR(100),
    fee DECIMAL(10,2)
);

INSERT INTO Courses
(id, course_name, fee)
VALUES
(1, 'Python Full Stack', 15000.00);

If a column allows NULL values, you can explicitly insert NULL.

INSERT INTO Students
(id, name, age)
VALUES
(5, 'Ravi', NULL);

NULL means that the value is missing or unknown. It is not the same as zero or an empty string.

If a column uses AUTO_INCREMENT, you normally do not need to provide its value.

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    age INT
);

Insert a student:

INSERT INTO Students (name, age)
VALUES ('Rahul', 20);

The database can automatically generate the ID.

If a column has a default value, that value can be used when the column is omitted.

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    city VARCHAR(50) DEFAULT 'Aurangabad'
);

INSERT INTO Students (name)
VALUES ('Amit');

The database can use Aurangabad as the default city.

INSERT INTO Students (name, age)
VALUES
('Rahul', 20),
('Priya', 21),
('Amit', 19),
('Neha', 22);

This is a convenient way to insert several records at once.

CREATE TABLE Employees (
    employee_id INT,
    employee_name VARCHAR(100),
    department VARCHAR(50),
    salary DECIMAL(10,2)
);

Insert a record:

INSERT INTO Employees
(employee_id, employee_name, department, salary)
VALUES
(1, 'Amit Kumar', 'IT', 35000.00);

CREATE TABLE Courses (
    course_id INT,
    course_name VARCHAR(100),
    duration VARCHAR(50),
    fee DECIMAL(10,2)
);

INSERT INTO Courses
(course_id, course_name, duration, fee)
VALUES
(1, 'ADCA', '6 Months', 10000.00);

INSERT INTO Courses
(course_id, course_name, duration, fee)
VALUES
(2, 'Python Full Stack', '1 Year', 35000.00),
(3, 'Tally Prime', '3 Months', 4000.00),
(4, 'Web Development', '6 Months', 15000.00);

After inserting records, you can use the SELECT statement to check the data.

SELECT * FROM Students;

The * means that all columns should be displayed.

The order of values should match the order of the specified columns.

INSERT INTO Students
(name, age, id)
VALUES
('Rahul', 20, 10);

This is valid because the values correspond to name, age, id in that order.

The number of supplied values should match the number of columns being inserted into.

Incorrect:

INSERT INTO Students (id, name, age)
VALUES (1, 'Rahul');

There are three specified columns but only two values.

Correct:

INSERT INTO Students (id, name, age)
VALUES (1, 'Rahul', 20);

Values should be compatible with the column data types.

For example:

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT,
    name VARCHAR(100)
);

A numeric ID should normally be inserted as a numeric value:

INSERT INTO Students (id, name)
VALUES (1, 'Rahul');

Text values should normally be enclosed in quotes.

Incorrect:

INSERT INTO Students (name)
VALUES (Rahul);

Correct:

INSERT INTO Students (name)
VALUES ('Rahul');

CREATE TABLE Students (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    mobile VARCHAR(15),
    course VARCHAR(100),
    fee DECIMAL(10,2)
);

Now insert student records:

INSERT INTO Students
(name, mobile, course, fee)
VALUES
('Rahul Kumar', '9876543210', 'Python', 15000.00),
('Priya Singh', '9876543211', 'ADCA', 10000.00),
('Amit Kumar', '9876543212', 'Tally Prime', 4000.00);

SQL also supports inserting records selected from another table.

INSERT INTO NewStudents (id, name)
SELECT id, name
FROM Students;

This technique is useful when copying selected data from one table into another table.

• Use INSERT INTO to add records.
• Specify column names whenever practical.
• Text values are normally written inside quotes.
• Numeric values normally do not require quotes.
• Make sure values match the column data types.
• The number of values must match the specified columns.
• Use NULL only when the column allows it.
• AUTO_INCREMENT columns can generate IDs automatically.