Skip to main content
PHP Blog

Back to all posts

How to Import Data Into A PostgreSQL Table?

Published on
5 min read
How to Import Data Into A PostgreSQL Table? image

Best Tools for Data Import to Buy in October 2025

1 R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data

R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data

BUY & SAVE
$49.27 $79.99
Save 38%
R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data
2 The Data Economy: Tools and Applications

The Data Economy: Tools and Applications

BUY & SAVE
$48.76 $60.00
Save 19%
The Data Economy: Tools and Applications
3 Qualitative Data Collection Tools: Design, Development, and Applications (Qualitative Research Methods)

Qualitative Data Collection Tools: Design, Development, and Applications (Qualitative Research Methods)

BUY & SAVE
$51.00
Qualitative Data Collection Tools: Design, Development, and Applications (Qualitative Research Methods)
4 Statistics: A Tool for Social Research and Data Analysis (MindTap Course List)

Statistics: A Tool for Social Research and Data Analysis (MindTap Course List)

BUY & SAVE
$118.60 $259.95
Save 54%
Statistics: A Tool for Social Research and Data Analysis (MindTap Course List)
5 Data-Driven DEI: The Tools and Metrics You Need to Measure, Analyze, and Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Data-Driven DEI: The Tools and Metrics You Need to Measure, Analyze, and Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

BUY & SAVE
$9.99 $28.00
Save 64%
Data-Driven DEI: The Tools and Metrics You Need to Measure, Analyze, and Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
6 DataShark PA70007 Network Tool Kit | Wire Crimper, Network Cable Stripper, Punch Down Tool, RJ45 Connectors | CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 (2023 Starter Kit)

DataShark PA70007 Network Tool Kit | Wire Crimper, Network Cable Stripper, Punch Down Tool, RJ45 Connectors | CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 (2023 Starter Kit)

  • COMPLETE TOOLKIT FOR INSTALLING AND UPGRADING YOUR NETWORK EASILY.

  • CUSTOM CASE KEEPS TOOLS ORGANIZED FOR EFFORTLESS TRANSPORT AND ACCESS.

  • PROFESSIONAL-GRADE TOOLS ENSURE DURABILITY FOR ALL YOUR NETWORKING TASKS.

BUY & SAVE
$33.86
DataShark PA70007 Network Tool Kit | Wire Crimper, Network Cable Stripper, Punch Down Tool, RJ45 Connectors | CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 (2023 Starter Kit)
7 Data Governance: The Definitive Guide: People, Processes, and Tools to Operationalize Data Trustworthiness

Data Governance: The Definitive Guide: People, Processes, and Tools to Operationalize Data Trustworthiness

BUY & SAVE
$45.99 $79.99
Save 43%
Data Governance: The Definitive Guide: People, Processes, and Tools to Operationalize Data Trustworthiness
8 Bosch Automotive Tools OBD 1150 Trilingual Scan Tool with AutoID, Live Data, ABS and Graphing

Bosch Automotive Tools OBD 1150 Trilingual Scan Tool with AutoID, Live Data, ABS and Graphing

  • BROAD COMPATIBILITY: WORKS WITH ALL 1996+ VEHICLES, DIESEL, HYBRIDS!

  • OVER 15,000 DTC DEFINITIONS: ACCURATE DIAGNOSTIC INSIGHTS INSTANTLY.

  • *REAL-TIME DATA & GRAPHING: MONITOR VEHICLE PERFORMANCE LIVE! *

BUY & SAVE
$79.99
Bosch Automotive Tools OBD 1150 Trilingual Scan Tool with AutoID, Live Data, ABS and Graphing
+
ONE MORE?

To import data into a PostgreSQL table, you can use the COPY command. This command allows you to copy data from a file or program into a PostgreSQL table.

First, you need to ensure that the data you want to import is in a proper format, such as CSV or TSV. Then, you can use the COPY command in the following syntax:

COPY table_name FROM 'file_path' DELIMITER ',' CSV;

Replace table_name with the name of the table you want to import data into, file_path with the path to the file containing the data, and ',' with the delimiter used in the file (e.g., , for a CSV file).

Make sure that the columns in your file match the columns in the PostgreSQL table. If there are any discrepancies, you may need to specify the columns in the COPY command.

Once you have executed the COPY command, PostgreSQL will import the data from the file into the specified table. You can then verify the data by querying the table using a SELECT statement.

How to import data into a PostgreSQL table using a Python script?

You can import data into a PostgreSQL table using a Python script by following these steps:

  1. Install the psycopg2 library: First, you need to install the psycopg2 library which provides a database interface for PostgreSQL using Python. You can install it using pip:

pip install psycopg2-binary

  1. Connect to the PostgreSQL database: Next, you need to establish a connection to the PostgreSQL database using the psycopg2 library. Here is an example code snippet to connect to the database:

import psycopg2

Connect to the PostgreSQL database

conn = psycopg2.connect( host="your_host", database="your_database", user="your_user", password="your_password" )

  1. Create a cursor object: Once you have established a connection to the PostgreSQL database, you need to create a cursor object to execute SQL queries. Here is an example code snippet to create a cursor object:

# Create a cursor object cur = conn.cursor()

  1. Execute an SQL query to import data: Finally, you can execute an SQL query to import data into a PostgreSQL table. Here is an example code snippet to import data from a CSV file into a PostgreSQL table:

# Open the CSV file for reading with open('data.csv', 'r') as f: # Skip the header row next(f) # Iterate over each row and insert into the table for row in f: cur.execute( "INSERT INTO your_table (column1, column2, column3) VALUES (%s, %s, %s)", row.split(',') )

Commit the transaction

conn.commit()

  1. Close the cursor and connection: After importing the data into the PostgreSQL table, make sure to close the cursor and the connection to release the database resources. Here is an example code snippet to close the cursor and connection:

# Close the cursor cur.close()

Close the connection

conn.close()

By following these steps, you can import data into a PostgreSQL table using a Python script. Remember to handle errors and exceptions appropriately while executing the SQL queries.

How to import data into a PostgreSQL table from a URL?

To import data into a PostgreSQL table from a URL, you can use the COPY command in PostgreSQL. Here is an example of how you can do this:

  1. Ensure that the pgcrypto extension is installed in PostgreSQL. You can do this by running the following command:

CREATE EXTENSION pgcrypto;

  1. Use the COPY command to import data from a URL into a PostgreSQL table. Here is an example:

COPY table_name FROM 'https://example.com/data.csv' DELIMITER ',' CSV HEADER;

  • table_name is the name of the table where you want to import the data.
  • https://example.com/data.csv is the URL from where you want to import the data.
  • DELIMITER ',' specifies that the CSV file uses a comma as the delimiter.
  • CSV indicates that the file format is CSV.
  • HEADER specifies that the first row of the CSV file contains the column headers.
  1. Make sure that the user executing the COPY command has the necessary permissions to read from the URL and write to the PostgreSQL table.

That's it! You have now imported data into a PostgreSQL table from a URL using the COPY command.

How to import data into a PostgreSQL table using Ruby script?

To import data into a PostgreSQL table using a Ruby script, you can use the pg gem, which is the Ruby interface to the PostgreSQL database.

Here is an example of how you can import data into a PostgreSQL table using a Ruby script:

  1. Install the pg gem by running the following command in your terminal:

gem install pg

  1. Create a Ruby script with the following code:

require 'pg'

Connect to the PostgreSQL database

conn = PG.connect(dbname: 'your_database_name', user: 'your_username', password: 'your_password')

Open the file containing the data to be imported

file = File.open('data.csv', 'r')

Read each line of the file and insert the data into the database

file.each_line do |line| data = line.split(',') conn.exec_params('INSERT INTO your_table_name (column1, column2, column3) VALUES ($1, $2, $3)', [data[0], data[1], data[2]]) end

Close the database connection and the file

conn.close file.close

  1. Replace your_database_name, your_username, your_password, data.csv, your_table_name, and column1, column2, column3 with your actual database details, file name, table name, and column names.
  2. Save the Ruby script and run it in your terminal by typing:

ruby import_data.rb

This script will read each line of the data.csv file, split the data by comma, and insert it into the specified PostgreSQL table. Make sure that the data in the file is formatted properly and matches the columns in the table.