Now that you understand how SQL engines process commands, let's create some data! INSERT statements add new rows to your tables.

Think of INSERT like adding a new contact to your phone - you're creating a brand new record with specific information.

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Name one piece of information you'd include when adding a new contact row?

Every INSERT follows the same basic pattern: tell the database which table to target, then provide the data values.

The engine will parse your syntax first, then execute the insertion during the final stage we learned about.

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Can you recall which stage actually adds the row to storage?

A full-column INSERT uses INSERT INTO table VALUES (...), providing a value for every column in the table, in the exact order they were defined.

Example:

This works when you know all columns and their order.

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What could go wrong if you provide the wrong number of values?

Partial-column INSERTs let you specify only the columns you want to fill. This is often safer and clearer.

Notice how we explicitly list the column names before providing values.

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Why can listing columns before values prevent errors?

Column order matters! Your VALUES must match the order you specify in your column list - not the table's original column order.