Create empty table in postgresql

Question

i want to create a simple table inside a database in postgresql. From the Documentation i have CREATE TABLE will create a new, initially empty table in the current database. The table will be owned by the user issuing the command. With this command

CREATE TABLE *table_name*;

I thought i get a new empty table.But psql throws ERROR: syntax error at or near ";". When i user an empty argument list like:

CREATE TABLE *table_name*();

psql tells me that the table was created through

postgres=# create table *table_name*();
CREATE TABLE

But \l shows is not showing the newly created table. And its also not possible to login with psql -d table_name -U user_name. Can anyone help?

Answer 1

You can have a table with no columns, and even with some rows in it:

CREATE TABLE nocolumn (dummy INTEGER NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY)
    ;

INSERT INTO nocolumn(dummy) VALUES (1);

ALTER TABLE nocolumn
        DROP COLUMN dummy;

\d nocolumn

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM nocolumn;

---

Output:

CREATE TABLE
INSERT 0 1
ALTER TABLE
   Table "tmp.nocolumn"
 Column | Type | Modifiers 
--------+------+-----------

 count 
-------
     1
(1 row)