CreateTable Logical Operator¶

CreateTable is a logical operator that represents (is <> for) the following:

• DataFrameWriter is requested to create a table (for DataFrameWriter.saveAsTable operator)

• SparkSqlAstBuilder is requested to visitCreateTable (for CREATE TABLE SQL command) or visitCreateHiveTable (for CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE SQL command)

• CatalogImpl is requested to create a table (for Catalog.createTable operator)

CreateTable requires that the table provider of the CatalogTable is defined or throws an AssertionError:

assertion failed: The table to be created must have a provider.

The optional <> is defined when used for the following:

• DataFrameWriter is requested to create a table (for DataFrameWriter.saveAsTable operator)

• SparkSqlAstBuilder is requested to visitCreateTable (for CREATE TABLE SQL command) or visitCreateHiveTable (for CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE SQL command) with an AS clause

[[resolved]] CreateTable can never be resolved and is replaced (resolved) with a logical command at analysis phase in the following rules:

• (for non-hive data source tables) DataSourceAnalysis posthoc logical resolution rule to a <> or a <> logical command (when the <> was defined or not, respectively)

• (for hive tables) hive/HiveAnalysis.md[HiveAnalysis] post-hoc logical resolution rule to a CreateTableCommand or a CreateHiveTableAsSelectCommand logical command (when <> was defined or not, respectively)

=== [[creating-instance]] Creating CreateTable Instance

CreateTable takes the following to be created:

• [[tableDesc]] Table metadata
• [[mode]] SaveMode
• [[query]] Optional AS query (Logical query plan)

When created, CreateTable makes sure that the optional <> is undefined only when the <> is ErrorIfExists or Ignore. CreateTable throws an AssertionError otherwise:

assertion failed: create table without data insertion can only use ErrorIfExists or Ignore as SaveMode.