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CREATE VIEW
Create an unmaterialized view.
Syntax
CREATE
[DEFINER = { user | CURRENT_USER }]
[SCHEMA_BINDING = { ON | OFF }]
VIEW view_name
AS select_statement
Remarks
- Views in MemSQL are not writable. Attempts to
INSERT,UPDATE, orDELETEdata in a view will result in an error. Instead, useALTER VIEWor manipulate data directly in the underlying tables from which the view is constructed. - MemSQL will always attempt to merge queries that refer to a view with the original view definition such that portions of the view definition replace semantically equivalent portions of the query. This default behavior is similar to MySQL’s
ALGORITHM = MERGEoption as part ofCREATE VIEW. When a merge is not possible, MemSQL creates an internal temporary table. - MemSQL does not support MySQL’s
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEWsyntax. To modify an existing view, useALTER VIEW. - By default, MemSQL restricts the ability to
CREATE,ALTER, orSELECTfrom the view to the user who created the view and toSUPERusers. In MySQL terms, this is the equivalent of includingDEFINER = CURRENT_USERandSQL SECURITY DEFINERin theCREATE VIEWstatement. - Views can reference views or tables from other databases.
CREATE VIEW view_name AS SELECT * FROM table_name ...will replace*with the column names at the time ofCREATE VIEWexecution rather than during execution ofSELECT ... FROM view_name. It is important to consider this distinction iftable_nameis altered between the execution ofCREATE VIEWandSELECT ... FROM view_name.- Any function (including
CURRENT_USER()andNOW()) used in a view are evaluated during execution ofSELECT ... FROM view_name, not when the view is created. - The
DEFINERclause tells MemSQL which user should be used for security checks when a view is referenced by a query. The default value is CURRENT_USER. - When
SCHEMA_BINDINGis set toON, objects referenced by the view cannot be dropped if the view exists; you would need to drop the view before dropping these objects. By default,SCHEMA_BINDINGis set toOFF. - The following note applies when the engine variable
table_name_case_sensitivityis set toOFF: After you create a view, you cannot create another view having the same view name with a different case. Refer to the Database Object Case Sensitivity topic for more information.
Examples
The following examples create views that reference a table in the same database as the view.
CREATE VIEW person_view AS SELECT first_name, last_name
FROM table_name WHERE user_id = 'real_person';
CREATE VIEW active_items_view AS SELECT name
FROM items WHERE status = 'active';
CREATE VIEW discounted_items_view AS SELECT name
FROM active_items_view WHERE discount = 1;
The following example creates a view that references two tables (orders and customers) that are located in different databases (orders_db and customers_db).
CREATE VIEW customer_orders AS SELECT o.id, c.last_name, c.first_name
FROM orders_db.orders o, customers_db.customers c WHERE o.customer_id = c.id;
Related Topics