If you also want to copy the data, which statement would you run?

• A. INSERT INTO schema2.city SELECT * FROM schema1.city;
• B. SELECT * INTO schema2.city FROM schema1.city;
• C. CREATE TABLE schema2.city AS CLONE OF schema1.city;
• D. CREATE TABLE schema2.city AS SELECT * FROM schema1.city;

Answer: (D)

The key idea is performing a create-and-populate operation in one go, known as a create table as select (CTAS). This pattern lets you define the destination table and fill it with data drawn from another table in a single statement.

The statement that creates a new table in the target schema and fills it with all rows from the source is the most straightforward way to copy both the structure and data in one step. It derives the new table’s columns and data types from the select, and immediately inserts the selected rows, giving you a complete copy without needing a separate create and insert.

Other options either require the destination table to already exist (so they copy only data into an existing table), rely on dialect-specific forms that aren’t universally supported (such as select-into in some databases), or use features that don’t consistently copy the data in all systems (like cloning methods that may copy metadata differently or rely on zero-copy techniques). Therefore, creating the table as part of the select is the most portable and concise way to copy both the table’s definition and its data in one operation.