markdown/reference/sql/CREATE-DATABASE.html.md.erb

---
title: CREATE DATABASE
---

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Creates a new database.

## <a id="topic1__section2"></a>Synopsis

``` pre
CREATE DATABASE <database_name> [s[WITH] <database_attribute>=<value> [ ... ]]
```
where \<database\_attribute\> is:
 
``` pre
	[OWNER=<database_owner>]
    [TEMPLATE=<template>]
    [ENCODING=<encoding>]
    [TABLESPACE=<tablespace>]
    [CONNECTION LIMIT=<connection_limit>]
```

## <a id="topic1__section3"></a>Description

`CREATE DATABASE` creates a new database. To create a database, you must be a superuser or have the special `CREATEDB` privilege.

The creator becomes the owner of the new database by default. Superusers can create databases owned by other users by using the `OWNER` clause. They can even create databases owned by users with no special privileges. Non-superusers with `CREATEDB` privilege can only create databases owned by themselves.

By default, the new database is created by cloning the standard system database template named `template1`. You can specify a different template by including the `WITH TEMPLATE=<template>` clause in the `CREATE DATABASE` command. In particular, specifying `WITH TEMPLATE=template0` creates a clean database containing only the standard objects predefined by HAWQ. This is useful if you wish to avoid copying any installation-local objects that may have been added to `template1`.

## <a id="topic1__section4"></a>Parameters

<dt>\<database_name\></dt>
<dd>The name of a database to create.

**Note:** HAWQ reserves the database name `hcatalog` for system use.</dd>

<dt>OWNER=\<database_owner\> </dt>
<dd>The name of the database user who will own the new database, or `DEFAULT` to use the default owner (the user executing the command).</dd>

<dt>TEMPLATE=\<template\> </dt>
<dd>The name of the template from which to create the new database, or `DEFAULT` to use the default template (`template1`).</dd>

<dt>ENCODING=\<encoding\> </dt>
<dd>Character set encoding to use in the new database. Specify a string constant (such as `'SQL_ASCII'`), an integer encoding number, or `DEFAULT` to use the default encoding.</dd>

<dt>TABLESPACE=\<tablespace\> </dt>
<dd>The name of the tablespace that will be associated with the new database, or `DEFAULT` to use the template database's tablespace. This tablespace will be the default tablespace used for objects created in this database.</dd>

<dt>CONNECTION LIMIT=\<connection_limit\></dt>
<dd>The maximum number of concurrent connections possible. The default of -1 means there is no limitation.</dd>

## <a id="topic1__section5"></a>Notes

`CREATE DATABASE` cannot be executed inside a transaction block.

Only template databases may be specified in the `WITH TEMPLATE=<template>` clause. When you specify `template1` or `template0` as the database template, no other sessions can be connected to the template database during the create operation. New connections to the template database are locked out until `CREATE DATABASE` completes.

The `CONNECTION LIMIT` is not enforced against superusers.

## <a id="topic1__section6"></a>Examples

To create a new database using the default template:

``` pre
CREATE DATABASE gpdb;
```

To create a database named `sales` owned by user `salesapp` with a default tablespace of `salesspace`:

``` pre
CREATE DATABASE sales OWNER=salesapp TABLESPACE=salesspace;
```

To create a database named `music` which supports the ISO-8859-1 character set:

``` pre
CREATE DATABASE music ENCODING='LATIN1';
```

## <a id="topic1__section7"></a>Compatibility

There is no `CREATE DATABASE` statement in the SQL standard. Databases are equivalent to catalogs, whose creation is implementation-defined.

## <a id="topic1__section8"></a>See Also

[DROP DATABASE](DROP-DATABASE.html)