Q.• Which of the above syntax should be used when we are not sure of the order (with respect to the column) in which the values are to be inserted in the table?
• Can we insert two records with the same roll number?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →SQL gives two INSERT INTO syntaxes. When you are not sure of the order of the columns in the table, use the form that names the columns explicitly — INSERT INTO table (col1, col2, ...) VALUES (v1, v2, ...) — because each value is matched to the column you name, not to a position. And no, two records cannot have the same roll number: the roll number is the table's primary key, and a primary key must be unique.
The two INSERT syntaxes
Take a small student table (roll number is the primary key):
CREATE TABLE STUDENT (
RollNumber INT PRIMARY KEY,
SName VARCHAR(30),
Class INT
);
Syntax 1 — without a column list. You must supply a value for every column, in the exact order in which the columns were defined:
INSERT INTO STUDENT
VALUES (101, 'Aaliya', 11);
Syntax 2 — with a column list. You name the columns yourself, and the values follow your list, in your order:
INSERT INTO STUDENT (SName, Class, RollNumber)
VALUES ('Aaliya', 11, 101);
Both statements store exactly the same row.
Part 1 — which syntax when the column order is unknown?
Use Syntax 2, the column-explicit form. The key idea: the DBMS pairs each value with the column name you wrote, so the physical position of the column in the table becomes irrelevant. With Syntax 1, a wrong guess about the order either raises a type error or — worse — silently stores data in the wrong columns (imagine Class landing in RollNumber). Naming the columns removes the guesswork; it is also the safer habit in real projects, where tables gain new columns over time.
Part 2 — can we insert two records with the same roll number? …
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