CREATE_ACCESS_METHOD(7pg16)

✨ CREATE ACCESS METHOD ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the CREATE ACCESS METHOD page from the PostgreSQL 16.15 docs — manual CREATE ACCESS METHOD(7pg16), section 7, we're in the system-level stuff now and honestly? it's giving power 💅

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🌸 NAME 🌸

CREATE ACCESS_METHOD — literally the command that defines a brand-new access method. yes, like making one. main character energy fr fr 👑

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

CREATE ACCESS METHOD name
    TYPE access_method_type
    HANDLER handler_function

that's the whole vibe. three lines, no cap 🦋

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so like, CREATE ACCESS METHOD creates a new access method. that's it, that's the whole thing, she said what she said ✨

the access method name has to be unique within the database — no duplicates bestie, the database is not a group chat, you can't have two people with the same name 🙈

and the big one: only superusers can define new access methods. so if you're not a superuser, this is not your moment, sorry 🫶

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💖 PARAMETERS 💖

• name — the name of the access method you're creating. pick something cute, but like, it has to be unique, remember? ⭐
• access_method_type — this clause specifies the type of access method to define. and listen, only TABLE and INDEX are supported at present — that's the whole roster, don't come for her with other types 💀
• handler_function — handler_function is the name (possibly schema-qualified 👀) of a previously registered function that represents the access method. some deets you absolutely cannot skip:
  • 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 varies depending on the type of access method 🧚
  • the table access method API is described in Chapter 63, and the index access method API is described in Chapter 64 — go read those if you're actually doing this, iykyk 📚

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🦋 EXAMPLES 🦋

creating an index access method called heptree with handler function heptree_handler — look at her go 💅

CREATE ACCESS METHOD heptree TYPE INDEX HANDLER heptree_handler;

ate. no crumbs. ✨

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🌺 COMPATIBILITY 🌺

CREATE ACCESS METHOD is a PostgreSQL extension — like, it's ours, it's homegrown, not a standard SQL thing 💜

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• DROP ACCESS METHOD (DROP_ACCESS_METHOD(7)) — for when you gotta let her go 😭
• CREATE OPERATOR CLASS (CREATE_OPERATOR_CLASS(7))
• CREATE OPERATOR FAMILY (CREATE_OPERATOR_FAMILY(7))

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okay that's the whole page bestie, you're officially educated 🎓💖

ngl the superuser-only thing is the vibe check here — if CREATE ACCESS METHOD says no, it means no 🙈

✿ sourced straight from the PostgreSQL 16.15 documentation, dated 2026 — go off, version girlies 🫶✨