# `CREATE TABLE`
<a name="create-table-syntax-support"></a>

`CREATE TABLE` defines a new table.

```
CREATE TABLE [ IF NOT EXISTS ] table_name ( [
  { column_name data_type [ column_constraint [ ... ] ]
    | table_constraint
    | LIKE source_table [ like_option ... ] }
    [, ... ]
] )

where column_constraint is:

[ CONSTRAINT constraint_name ]
{ NOT NULL |
  NULL |
  CHECK ( expression )|
  DEFAULT default_expr |
  GENERATED ALWAYS AS ( generation_expr ) STORED |
  GENERATED { ALWAYS | BY DEFAULT } AS IDENTITY ( sequence_options ) |
  UNIQUE [ NULLS [ NOT ] DISTINCT ] index_parameters |
  PRIMARY KEY index_parameters |

and table_constraint is:

[ CONSTRAINT constraint_name ]
{ CHECK ( expression ) |
  UNIQUE [ NULLS [ NOT ] DISTINCT ] ( column_name [, ... ] ) index_parameters |
  PRIMARY KEY ( column_name [, ... ] ) index_parameters |

and like_option is:

{ INCLUDING | EXCLUDING } { COMMENTS | CONSTRAINTS | DEFAULTS | GENERATED | IDENTITY | INDEXES | STATISTICS | ALL }

index_parameters in UNIQUE, and PRIMARY KEY constraints are:
[ INCLUDE ( column_name [, ... ] ) ]
```

## Identity columns
<a name="create-table-identity-columns"></a>

**Note**  
When using identity columns, the cache value should be carefully considered. For more information, see the Important callout on the [`CREATE SEQUENCE`](create-sequence-syntax-support.md) page.  
For guidance on how best to use identity columns based on workload patterns, see [Working with sequences and identity columns](sequences-identity-columns-working-with.md).

The `GENERATED { ALWAYS | BY DEFAULT } AS IDENTITY ( sequence_options )` clause creates the column as an *identity column*. It will have an implicit sequence attached to it and in newly-inserted rows the column will automatically have values from the sequence assigned to it. Such a column is implicitly `NOT NULL`.

The clauses `ALWAYS` and `BY DEFAULT` determine how explicitly user-specified values are handled in `INSERT` and `UPDATE` commands.

In an `INSERT` command, if `ALWAYS` is selected, a user-specified value is only accepted if the `INSERT` statement specifies `OVERRIDING SYSTEM VALUE`. If `BY DEFAULT` is selected, then the user-specified value takes precedence.

In an `UPDATE` command, if `ALWAYS` is selected, any update of the column to any value other than `DEFAULT` will be rejected. If `BY DEFAULT` is selected, the column can be updated normally. (There is no `OVERRIDING` clause for the `UPDATE` command.)

The *sequence\$1options* clause can be used to override the parameters of the sequence. The available options include those shown for [`CREATE SEQUENCE`](create-sequence-syntax-support.md), plus `SEQUENCE NAME name`. Without `SEQUENCE NAME`, the system chooses an unused name for the sequence.