Rename a Table

Change a table name while keeping its existing rows and columns.

Created Apr 26, 2026 Last updated Apr 26, 2026 0/5 supported engines validation-green 1 example 2 scenarios

Docker-validated Not currently validation-green

Example 1

Rename a draft table after review

The table name changes from draft_products to products. The stored rows are not copied or changed; they are simply read through the new table name.

MySQL MariaDB PostgreSQL SQLite

Engine-specific syntax

Source table data

Setup

CREATE TABLE draft_products (id INT, name VARCHAR(50));

INSERT INTO
  draft_products
VALUES
  (1, 'Widget'),
  (2, 'Gadget');

Validated query

SQL

ALTER TABLE draft_products
RENAME TO products;

SELECT
  id,
  name
FROM
  products
ORDER BY
  id;

Expected result

id	name
1	Widget
2	Gadget

SQL Server

Engine-specific syntax

Source table data

Setup

CREATE TABLE draft_products (id INT, name VARCHAR(50));

INSERT INTO
  draft_products
VALUES
  (1, 'Widget'),
  (2, 'Gadget');

Validated query

SQL

EXEC sp_rename 'draft_products',
'products';

SELECT
  id,
  name
FROM
  products
ORDER BY
  id;

Expected result

id	name
1	Widget
2	Gadget

Most supported engines use `ALTER TABLE ... RENAME TO`; SQL Server uses `sp_rename`.

Useful when

Where this command helps.

renaming a staging table after it becomes the production table
cleaning up table names during a schema migration without rewriting the stored rows

Explanation

What the command is doing.

Renaming a table updates the schema name used to reference it without copying data. It is useful during cleanup, migrations, and naming-standard changes. Because application queries and dependent objects may still refer to the old name, plan table renames carefully and update callers at the same time.

Rename a Table

Rename a draft table after review

Where this command helps.

What the command is doing.

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