MySQL in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

INSERT

Synopsis

INSERT [LOW_PRIORITY|DELAYED|HIGH_PRIORITY] [IGNORE]
  [INTO] table
  SET column={expression|DEFAULT}, ...
  [ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE column=expression, ...]

INSERT [LOW_PRIORITY|DELAYED|HIGH_PRIORITY] [IGNORE]
  [INTO] table [(column, ...)]
  VALUES ({expression|DEFAULT},...),(...),...
  [ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE column=expression, ...]

INSERT [LOW_PRIORITY|HIGH_PRIORITY] [IGNORE]
  [INTO] table [(column, ...)]
  SELECT...
  [ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE column=expression, ...]

Use this statement to add rows of data to a table. The first format shown can insert only one row of data per statement. The second format can handle one or more rows in a single statement. The columns and their order are specified once, but values for multiple rows may be given. Each row of values is to be contained in its own set of parentheses, separated by commas. The third format inserts columns copied from rows in other tables. Explanations of the specifics of each type of statement, their various clauses and keywords, and examples of their uses follow in the next three subsections of this SQL statement.

A few parameters are common to two formats, and a few are common to all formats.

You can use the LOW_PRIORITY keyword to instruct the server to wait until all other queries related to the table in which data is to be added are finished before running the INSERT statement. When the table is free, it is locked for the INSERT statement and will prevent concurrent inserts.

The DELAYED keyword is available for the ...