Insert Into SQL Server: A Comprehensive Guide for Devs

Hello Dev, are you looking for the best practices to insert data into a SQL Server database? If yes, then you have come to the right place. Inserting data into SQL Server requires a proper understanding of database tables, columns, and data types. In this article, we will guide you through the entire process of inserting data into SQL Server.

Understanding Insert Statement

SQL INSERT statement is used to insert data into a table. The syntax for the INSERT statement is as follows:

Column Name	Data Type
INSERT INTO TableName
[(ColumnName1, ColumnName2, …)]
VALUES (Value1, Value2, …)

The INSERT INTO statement specifies the table name and the column names (optional) that you want to insert data into. The VALUES keyword is used to specify the values that you want to insert into the specified columns of the table.

Inserting Data into a Table with Column Names

If you want to insert data into a table with column names, then you can use the following syntax:

Column Name	Data Type
INSERT INTO TableName (ColumnName1, ColumnName2, …)
VALUES (Value1, Value2, …)

Let’s say you have a table named “Employees” with the following columns:

Column Name	Data Type
EmployeeID	int
FirstName	varchar(50)
LastName	varchar(50)
Salary	decimal(18,2)

To insert a new record into the “Employees” table, you can use the following SQL statement:

INSERT INTO Employees (FirstName, LastName, Salary) VALUES (‘John’, ‘Doe’, 50000.00)

This statement will insert a new record into the “Employees” table with the values “John” for the FirstName column, “Doe” for the LastName column, and “50000.00” for the Salary column.

Inserting Data into a Table without Column Names

If you want to insert data into a table without column names, then you can use the following syntax:

Column Name	Data Type
INSERT INTO TableName
VALUES (Value1, Value2, …)

Let’s say you have a table named “Customers” with the following columns:

Column Name	Data Type
CustomerID	int
CustomerName	varchar(50)
ContactName	varchar(50)
Country	varchar(50)

To insert a new record into the “Customers” table, you can use the following SQL statement:

INSERT INTO Customers VALUES (1, ‘Alfreds Futterkiste’, ‘Maria Anders’, ‘Germany’)

This statement will insert a new record into the “Customers” table with the values “1” for the CustomerID column, “Alfreds Futterkiste” for the CustomerName column, “Maria Anders” for the ContactName column, and “Germany” for the Country column.

Inserting Multiple Rows

If you want to insert multiple rows into a table, then you can use the following syntax:

Column Name	Data Type
INSERT INTO TableName (ColumnName1, ColumnName2, …)
VALUES (Value1, Value2, …), (Value1, Value2, …), …

Let’s say you have a table named “Orders” with the following columns:

Column Name	Data Type
OrderID	int
CustomerID	int
OrderDate	datetime

To insert multiple rows into the “Orders” table, you can use the following SQL statement:

INSERT INTO Orders (OrderID, CustomerID, OrderDate) VALUES (1, 1, ‘2022-01-01’), (2, 2, ‘2022-01-02’), (3, 3, ‘2022-01-03’)

This statement will insert three new records into the “Orders” table with the specified values for the “OrderID”, “CustomerID”, and “OrderDate” columns.

FAQs

What are the common errors while inserting data into SQL Server?

Some of the common errors while inserting data into SQL Server are:

• Invalid column name
• Incorrect syntax near ‘VALUES’
• String or binary data would be truncated
• Conversion failed when converting the varchar value to data type int
• Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint

What is the difference between the INSERT INTO statement and the SELECT INTO statement?

The INSERT INTO statement is used to insert data into an existing table, whereas the SELECT INTO statement is used to create a new table and insert data into it from a query result set.

Can I insert data into multiple tables at once?

No, you cannot insert data into multiple tables at once using a single SQL statement.

What are the best practices for inserting data into SQL Server?

Some of the best practices for inserting data into SQL Server are:

• Always specify column names while inserting data
• Use parameterized queries to avoid SQL injection attacks
• Avoid inserting too many rows at once to prevent performance issues
• Validate data before inserting it into the database
• Use appropriate data types for columns to optimize storage space and performance

Is it possible to insert data into a view?

No, you cannot insert data into a view. Views are read-only virtual tables that are created from one or more tables.