How Many Rows Can I Insert in a Single MySQL INSERT Statement?

Inserting Multiple Rows in a Single MySQL Statement: Limitations and Best Practices

When inserting data into a MySQL table, the number of rows you can include in a single INSERT statement is a matter of consideration. Understanding these limitations can optimize your data insertion operations.

Number of Values Sets

The number of values sets you include in your INSERT statement does not directly affect the maximum number of rows you can insert. You can insert multiple rows with varying numbers of columns as long as they adhere to the table's schema.

Number of Bytes in the INSERT Statement

The major limiting factor for the size of an INSERT statement is the value of the max_allowed_packet variable. This variable sets a limit on the length of any SQL statement sent from the client to the database server. The max_allowed_packet value determines the total number of bytes in your INSERT statement, including the table name, column names, and data values.

Practical Considerations

For basic data insertion operations involving a few rows, you can hard-code the values using the INSERT ... VALUES pattern within the max_allowed_packet limits. However, if you need to insert a large number of rows or work with particularly large data values, consider using the INSERT ... SELECT pattern instead.

This pattern allows you to insert records from other tables, which can bypass the max_allowed_packet limit. In this case, the number of rows you can insert is limited only by the number of records in the source table.

Conclusion

The size of a single MySQL INSERT statement is primarily determined by the max_allowed_packet variable. For small-scale insertions, using the INSERT ... VALUES pattern is sufficient. For large-scale insertions, the INSERT ... SELECT pattern offers a more efficient approach that is not subject to the max_allowed_packet limitation.

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