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$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/create_database.sgml,v 1.10 1999/12/04 04:53:15 momjian Exp $
Postgres documentation
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<refentry id="SQL-CREATEDATABASE">
 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle id="sql-createdatabase-title">
   CREATE DATABASE
  </refentrytitle>
  <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>
 <refnamediv>
  <refname>
   CREATE DATABASE
  </refname>
  <refpurpose>
   Creates a new database
  </refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>
 <refsynopsisdiv>
  <refsynopsisdivinfo>
   <date>1999-07-20</date>
  </refsynopsisdivinfo>
  <synopsis>
CREATE DATABASE <replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable> [ WITH LOCATION = '<replaceable class="parameter">dbpath</replaceable>' ]
  </synopsis>

  <refsect2 id="R2-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-1">
   <refsect2info>
    <date>1998-04-15</date>
   </refsect2info>
   <title>
    Inputs
   </title>
   <para>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	The name of a database to create.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">dbpath</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	An alternate location for the new database. See below for caveats.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
   </para>
  </refsect2>

  <refsect2 id="R2-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-2">
   <refsect2info>
    <date>1998-04-15</date>
   </refsect2info>
   <title>
    Outputs
   </title>
   <para>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>
CREATE DATABASE
       </computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Message returned if the command completes successfully.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>
WARN:  createdb: database "<replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable>" already exists.
       </computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	This occurs if <replaceable class="parameter">database</replaceable> specified already exists.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>
ERROR:  Unable to create database directory <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable>
       </computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	There was a problem with creating the required directory; this operation will
	need permissions for the <literal>postgres</literal> user on the specified location.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
   </para>
  </refsect2>
 </refsynopsisdiv>

 <refsect1 id="R1-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-1">
  <refsect1info>
   <date>1998-04-15</date>
  </refsect1info>
  <title>
   Description
  </title>
  <para>
   <command>CREATE DATABASE</command> creates a new Postgres database.
   The creator becomes the administrator of the new database.
  </para>

  <para>
   An alternate location can be specified as either an
   environment variable known to the backend server
   (e.g. '<envar>PGDATA2</envar>') or, if the server is built to
   allow it, as an absolute path name
   (e.g. '<filename>/usr/local/pgsql/data</filename>').
   In either case, the location must be pre-configured
   by <command>initlocation</command>.
  </para>

  <refsect2 id="R2-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-3">
   <refsect2info>
    <date>1998-04-15</date>
   </refsect2info>
   <title>
    Notes
   </title>
   <para>
    <command>CREATE DATABASE</command> is a <productname>Postgres</productname>
    language extension.
   </para>
   <para>
    Use <command>DROP DATABASE</command> to remove a database.
   </para>

   <para>
    There are security and data integrity issues
    involved with using alternate database locations
    specified with absolute path names, and by default
    only an environment variable known to the backend may be
    specified for an alternate location.
    See the Administrator's Guide for more information.
   </para>

<!--
comment from Olly; response from Thomas...
  <comment>
   initlocation does not create a PG_VERSION file in the specified location.
   How will Postgres handle the situation if it is upgraded to an 
   incompatible database version?
  </comment>
   Hmm. This isn't an issue since the upgrade would do
   a dump/reload from the main database area also.
   Not sure if the dump/reload would guarantee that
   the alternate data area gets refreshed though...
-->
  </refsect2>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 id="R1-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-2">
  <title>
   Usage
  </title>
  <para>
   To create a new database:

   <programlisting>
<prompt>olly=></prompt> <userinput>create database lusiadas;</userinput>
   </programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
   To create a new database in an alternate area <filename>~/private_db</filename>:

   <programlisting>
<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>mkdir private_db</userinput>
<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>initlocation ~/private_db</userinput>
<computeroutput>Creating Postgres database system directory /home/olly/private_db/base</computeroutput>
   
   <prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>psql olly</userinput>
   <computeroutput>Welcome to psql, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.
(Please type \copyright to see the distribution terms of PostgreSQL.)
 
Type \h for help with SQL commands,
     \? for help on internal slash commands,
     \q to quit,
     \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query.
    <prompt>olly=></prompt></computeroutput> <userinput>create database elsewhere with location = '/home/olly/private_db';</userinput>
   <computeroutput>CREATE DATABASE</computeroutput>
   </programlisting>
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 id="R1-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-4">
  <title>
   Compatibility
  </title>

  <refsect2 id="R2-SQL-CREATEDATABASE-4">
   <refsect2info>
    <date>1998-04-15</date>
   </refsect2info>
   <title>
    SQL92
   </title>
   <para>
    There is no <command>CREATE DATABASE</command> statement in SQL92.
    The equivalent command in standard SQL is <command>CREATE SCHEMA</command>.
   </para>
  </refsect2>
 </refsect1>
</refentry>

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