Inserting Data in MySQL

Introduction

So far, you have created a database and a table. But right now, your table is empty.

In this lesson, you will actually start using it by adding real data.

Step 1: Check Your Table

Before inserting anything, make sure your table exists and is empty.

SELECT * FROM users;

If everything is correct, you should see an empty result.

Step 2: Insert Your First Record

Now let’s add your first user.

INSERT INTO users (name, email)
VALUES ('Rohan', 'rohan@email.com');

Run this query and then check your table again:

SELECT * FROM users;

Now you should see one row in your table.

Step 3: Understand What Happened

• A new row was added to the table
• You provided values for name and email
• The id was generated automatically

This is your first real interaction with stored data.

Step 4: Add More Data

Instead of adding one record at a time, you can insert multiple rows together.

INSERT INTO users (name, email)
VALUES 
('Amit', 'amit@email.com'),
('Neha', 'neha@email.com'),
('Sara', 'sara@email.com');

Now run:

SELECT * FROM users;

You should see multiple users in your table.

Step 5: Try It Yourself

Add at least 2 more records on your own.

For example:

• Different names
• Different email addresses

This step is important. The more you type queries yourself, the faster you learn.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Text values must be inside single quotes
• The number of columns and values must match
• Order of values should match the columns

Common Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes is writing something like:

INSERT INTO users (name, email)
VALUES (Rohan, rohan@email.com);

This will fail because text values are not wrapped in quotes.

Summary

In this lesson, you inserted your first data into a MySQL table.

You added single and multiple records and verified them using SELECT.

At this point, your table is no longer empty, and you are working with real data.