Database Ingestion Options

• Many different ways to ingest your data into a database!
• We are going to cover two options and note their differences
• We will use the following example csv file

Option #1: COPY

Option 1 Key characteristics:

• Fast and efficient for large files
• Requires the table to already exist with matching column names and types
• You control the schema explicitly — data types, constraints, etc.

Option #2: read_csv

Option 2 Key characteristics:

• Convenient — no need to define the schema upfront
• Automatically infers column types from the data
• Great for quick exploration and prototyping
• Type inference can sometimes get things wrong — always verify!

The Difference