What is INSERT?

The INSERT statement is used to add new rows into a table.

You can use INSERT when you want to add one new record, add values into specific columns, store employee details, add product details, or save transaction records.

How INSERT works

A basic INSERT statement names the table, lists the columns you want to fill, and then provides the values for those columns.

INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3)
VALUES (value1, value2, value3);

Example

INSERT INTO Employees (employee_id, employee_name, department, salary)
VALUES (6, 'Ethan Moore', 'Finance', 45000);

Employees table before INSERT

We will insert a new employee into this table.

Adding a new row

This query inserts one new row into the Employees table.

INSERT INTO Employees (employee_id, employee_name, department, salary)
VALUES (6, 'Ethan Moore', 'Finance', 45000);

New row being added

Employees table after INSERT

The new employee row has now been added to the Employees table.

Key takeaway

INSERT is a DML command used to add new rows into an existing table. When you list specific columns, the values must follow the same order as those columns.