🔍 ****
In the world of databases, sometimes you don’t want to give users access to raw tables — especially when data is sensitive, complex, or when you want to simplify things.
That’s where Views come in handy!
âś… What is a View?
A view in PostgreSQL is a virtual table based on a SQL query. It doesn’t store data itself — it pulls from existing tables whenever it's queried.
Think of it as a saved query that behaves like a real table.
đź’ˇ Why Use Views?
Simplify complex queries
Improve security (restrict access to certain columns)
Provide a consistent API for developers
Abstract business logic away from raw tables
🛠️ How to Create a View
Here’s a simple example:
CREATE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT id, name, email
FROM users
WHERE status = 'active';
Now, anytime you want to see active users, just:
SELECT * FROM active_users;
🔄 Updating a View
To change the definition of a view:
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT id, name, email, last_login
FROM users
WHERE status = 'active';
🧹 Deleting a View
If you ever want to remove the view:
DROP VIEW active_users;
🧠Pro Tip
You can join multiple tables in a view too! Like this:
CREATE VIEW order_summary AS
SELECT
o.id AS order_id,
u.name AS customer_name,
o.total_amount,
o.order_date
FROM orders o
JOIN users u ON o.user_id = u.id;
Final Thoughts
Views are a powerful tool for making your PostgreSQL database more secure, organized, and developer-friendly.
Have you used views in your project? What was your use case?
Let’s discuss 👇
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