Hive insert query like SQL

I am new to hive, and want to know if there is anyway to insert data into Hive table like we do in SQL. I want to insert my data into hive like

INSERT INTO tablename VALUES (value1,value2..)

I have read that you can load the data from a file to hive table or you can import data from one table to hive table but is there any way to append the data as in SQL?

Solution 1:

Some of the answers here are out of date as of Hive 0.14

https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/Hive/LanguageManual+DML#LanguageManualDML-InsertingvaluesintotablesfromSQL

It is now possible to insert using syntax such as:

CREATE TABLE students (name VARCHAR(64), age INT, gpa DECIMAL(3, 2));

INSERT INTO TABLE students
  VALUES ('fred flintstone', 35, 1.28), ('barney rubble', 32, 2.32);

Solution 2:

You can use the table generating function stack to insert literal values into a table.

First you need a dummy table which contains only one line. You can generate it with the help of limit.

CREATE TABLE one AS
SELECT 1 AS one
FROM any_table_in_your_database
LIMIT 1;

Now you can create a new table with literal values like this:

CREATE TABLE my_table AS
SELECT stack(3
  , "row1", 1
  , "row2", 2
  , "row3", 3
) AS (column1, column2)
FROM one
;

The first argument of stack is the number of rows you are generating.

You can also add values to an existing table:

INSERT INTO TABLE my_table
SELECT stack(2
  , "row4", 1
  , "row5", 2
) AS (column1, column2)
FROM one
;

Solution 3:

Slightly better version of the unique2 suggestion is below:

insert overwrite table target_table
select * from 
(
select stack(
    3,                 # generating new table with 3 records
    'John', 80,        # record_1
    'Bill', 61         # record_2
    'Martha', 101      # record_3
    ) 
) s;

Which does not require the hack with using an already exiting table.

Solution 4:

You can use below approach. With this, You don't need to create temp table OR txt/csv file for further select and load respectively.

INSERT INTO TABLE tablename SELECT value1,value2 FROM tempTable_with_atleast_one_records LIMIT 1.

Where tempTable_with_atleast_one_records is any table with atleast one record.

But problem with this approach is that If you have INSERT statement which inserts multiple rows like below one.

INSERT INTO yourTable values (1 , 'value1') , (2 , 'value2') , (3 , 'value3') ;

Then, You need to have separate INSERT hive statement for each rows. See below.

INSERT INTO TABLE yourTable SELECT 1 , 'value1' FROM tempTable_with_atleast_one_records LIMIT 1;
INSERT INTO TABLE yourTable SELECT 2 , 'value2' FROM tempTable_with_atleast_one_records LIMIT 1;
INSERT INTO TABLE yourTable SELECT 3 , 'value3' FROM tempTable_with_atleast_one_records LIMIT 1;