Just launched! Get 30% off Rails Revisited Have a Look
robconery.com

Importing a CSV Into PostgreSQL Like a Pro

February 22, 2022 |
Importing data into PostgreSQL can be time consuming and painful – unless you toss the GUI tools and use scripts.
***

USING HEAD

It all starts with using the head command in the shell in order to pull out the column names:

head -1 master_plan.csv

This will pop out the very first line of the CSV, which is typically the header row. I’m working with Cassini’s mission plan data, so this is what I see:

Now I just copy/paste that into VS Code and run a simple replacement using “Change all Occurrences” to build my create table statement.

The final step is to use the copy from command to pull data out of the CSV and into the database. There’s a whole lot more to this (like data types to use and creating an isolated schema) – just watch the video already!

Join over 15,000 programmers just like you and me

I have a problem when it comes to trying new things and learning about computer science stuff. I'm self-taught, so it's imperative I keep up with what's going on. I love sharing, so sign up and I'll send along what I've learned right to your inbox.