filler-columns.md
In the following example, the table has columns for first name, last name, and full name, but the data being loaded contains columns for first, middle, and last names. The COPY statement reads all of the source data but only loads the source columns for first and last names. It constructs the data for the full name by concatenating each of the source data columns, including the middle name. The middle name is read as a FILLER column so it can be used in the concatenation, but is ignored otherwise. (There is no table column for middle name.)
=> CREATE TABLE names(first VARCHAR(20), last VARCHAR(20), full VARCHAR(60));
CREATE TABLE
=> COPY names(first,
middle FILLER VARCHAR(20),
last,
full AS first||' '||middle||' '||last)
FROM STDIN;
Enter data to be copied followed by a newline.
End with a backslash and a period on a line by itself.
>> Marc|Gregory|Smith
>> Sue|Lucia|Temp
>> Jon|Pete|Hamilton
>> \.
=> SELECT * from names;
first | last | full
-------+----------+--------------------
Jon | Hamilton | Jon Pete Hamilton
Marc | Smith | Marc Gregory Smith
Sue | Temp | Sue Lucia Temp
(3 rows)