CREATE_ACCESS_METHOD(7pg17)

💅 CREATE ACCESS METHOD(7) 💅

okay bestie, this is the PostgreSQL 17.11 Documentation page for CREATE ACCESS METHOD — yes, that’s the title and the manual name, we’re doing this ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

CREATE_ACCESS_METHOD — define a new access method. That’s the whole vibe: you’re making a brand-new access method, periodt 💖

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

CREATE ACCESS METHOD name
    TYPE access_method_type
    HANDLER handler_function

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

CREATE ACCESS METHOD creates a new access method. Slay.

The access method name must be unique within the database. No duplicates, bestie — the database said one of each 💅

Only superusers can define new access methods. So if you’re not a superuser, this is not your main character moment 😭

💖 PARAMETERS 💖

• name — the name of the access method you’re creating. Cute. Name it something iconic 🎀
• access_method_type — this clause specifies the type of access method to define. Only TABLE and INDEX are supported at present. That’s the whole menu, no secret flavors 🌈
• handler_function — handler_function is the name (possibly schema-qualified) of a previously registered function that represents the access method. The handler function must be declared to take a single argument of type internal, and 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 61 and the index access method API is described in Chapter 62. iykyk, that’s the deep lore 📚

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

Create an index access method heptree with handler function heptree_handler:

CREATE ACCESS METHOD heptree TYPE INDEX HANDLER heptree_handler;

Ate. No cap. That’s literally the example 💫

💫 COMPATIBILITY 💫

CREATE ACCESS METHOD is a PostgreSQL extension. Just a PostgreSQL extension, bestie 🫶

👑 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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signing off with PostgreSQL 17.11, dated 2026, on the CREATE ACCESS METHOD(7) page — bye bestie, mwah 💋💖