CREATE_ACCESS_METHOD(7pg14)

✨ CREATE ACCESS METHOD ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to CREATE ACCESS METHOD(7) from the PostgreSQL 14.24 docs — this is the page where we learn how to literally invent a whole new access method, no cap 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

CREATE ACCESS METHOD — define a new access method

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

CREATE ACCESS METHOD name
    TYPE access_method_type
    HANDLER handler_function

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So CREATE ACCESS METHOD creates a brand-new access method. That's the whole vibe ✨

The access method name must be unique within the database — no duplicates allowed, periodt. 🚫

And heads up: only superusers can define new access methods. So if you're not a superuser, this is not your main character moment, sorry not sorry 😭

💖 PARAMETERS 💖

• name — the name of the access method to be created. Pick something cute but, like, unique.
• access_method_type — this clause says what kind of access method you're defining. Right now, only TABLE and INDEX are supported. That's it. That's the list. 🫶
• handler_function — the name (possibly schema-qualified, iykyk) of a previously registered function that represents the access method. Real talk about the requirements:
  • the handler function must be declared to take a single argument of type internal
  • its return type depends on the type of access method: for TABLE access methods it must be table_am_handler, and for INDEX access methods it must be index_am_handler
  • the C-level API that the handler function must implement also varies depending on the type of access method — the table access method API is described in Chapter 61, and the index access method API is described in Chapter 62 📚

🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

Create an index access method heptree with handler function heptree_handler:

CREATE ACCESS METHOD heptree TYPE INDEX HANDLER heptree_handler;

slay. that's it. that's the example. 🧚

⭐ COMPATIBILITY ⭐

CREATE ACCESS METHOD is a PostgreSQL extension — so it's our thing, not a standard-SQL thing 💜

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• DROP ACCESS METHOD (DROP_ACCESS_METHOD(7))
• CREATE OPERATOR CLASS (CREATE_OPERATOR_CLASS(7))
• CREATE OPERATOR FAMILY (CREATE_OPERATOR_FAMILY(7))

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and that's the page bestie!! go forth and make access methods 👑 this was CREATE ACCESS METHOD(7) from PostgreSQL 14.24, dated 2026 — mwah, bye! 💋🎀