spark-instrumented-optimizer/docs/sql-ref-syntax-ddl-create-table-hiveformat.md

---
layout: global
title: CREATE HIVEFORMAT TABLE
displayTitle: CREATE HIVEFORMAT TABLE
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  this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
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---

### Description

The `CREATE TABLE` statement defines a new table using Hive format.

### Syntax

```sql
CREATE [ EXTERNAL ] TABLE [ IF NOT EXISTS ] table_identifier
    [ ( col_name1[:] col_type1 [ COMMENT col_comment1 ], ... ) ]
    [ COMMENT table_comment ]
    [ PARTITIONED BY ( col_name2[:] col_type2 [ COMMENT col_comment2 ], ... ) 
        | ( col_name1, col_name2, ... ) ]
    [ ROW FORMAT row_format ]
    [ STORED AS file_format ]
    [ LOCATION path ]
    [ TBLPROPERTIES ( key1=val1, key2=val2, ... ) ]
    [ AS select_statement ]
```

Note that, the clauses between the columns definition clause and the AS SELECT clause can come in
as any order. For example, you can write COMMENT table_comment after TBLPROPERTIES.

### Parameters

* **table_identifier**

    Specifies a table name, which may be optionally qualified with a database name.

    **Syntax:** `[ database_name. ] table_name`

* **EXTERNAL**

    Table is defined using the path provided as LOCATION, does not use default location for this table.

* **PARTITIONED BY**

    Partitions are created on the table, based on the columns specified.

* **ROW FORMAT**

    SERDE is used to specify a custom SerDe or the DELIMITED clause in order to use the native SerDe.

* **STORED AS**

    File format for table storage, could be TEXTFILE, ORC, PARQUET, etc.

* **LOCATION**

    Path to the directory where table data is stored, which could be a path on distributed storage like HDFS, etc.

* **COMMENT**

    A string literal to describe the table.

* **TBLPROPERTIES**

    A list of key-value pairs that is used to tag the table definition.

* **AS select_statement**

    The table is populated using the data from the select statement.

### Examples

```sql
--Use hive format
CREATE TABLE student (id INT, name STRING, age INT) STORED AS ORC;

--Use data from another table
CREATE TABLE student_copy STORED AS ORC
    AS SELECT * FROM student;

--Specify table comment and properties
CREATE TABLE student (id INT, name STRING, age INT)
    COMMENT 'this is a comment'
    STORED AS ORC
    TBLPROPERTIES ('foo'='bar');  

--Specify table comment and properties with different clauses order
CREATE TABLE student (id INT, name STRING, age INT)
    STORED AS ORC
    TBLPROPERTIES ('foo'='bar')
    COMMENT 'this is a comment';

--Create partitioned table
CREATE TABLE student (id INT, name STRING)
    PARTITIONED BY (age INT)
    STORED AS ORC;

--Create partitioned table with different clauses order
CREATE TABLE student (id INT, name STRING)
    STORED AS ORC
    PARTITIONED BY (age INT);

--Use Row Format and file format
CREATE TABLE student (id INT,name STRING)
    ROW FORMAT DELIMITED FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
    STORED AS TEXTFILE;
```

### Related Statements

* [CREATE TABLE USING DATASOURCE](sql-ref-syntax-ddl-create-table-datasource.html)
* [CREATE TABLE LIKE](sql-ref-syntax-ddl-create-table-like.html)