Alter a table (HTTP)
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For details about additional languages, see: |
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Tables with the Data API are currently in public preview. Development is ongoing, and the features and functionality are subject to change. Hyper-Converged Database (HCD), and the use of such, is subject to the DataStax Preview Terms. |
Alters a table by doing one of the following:
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Adding one or more columns to a table
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Dropping one or more columns from a table
You cannot change a column’s type. Instead, you must drop the column and add a new column.
After you add a column, you should index the column if you want to filter or sort on the column. For more information, see Create an index (HTTP) and Create a vector index (HTTP).
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Ready to write code? See the examples for this method to get started. |
Result
Adds or drops columns.
If the command succeeds, the response indicates the success.
Example response:
{
"status": {
"ok": 1
}
}Signature
Use the alterTable command.
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/TABLE_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"alterTable": {
"operation": {
"add": {
"columns": {
"NEW_COLUMN_NAME": "DATA_TYPE",
"NEW_COLUMN_NAME": "DATA_TYPE"
}
}
}
}
}'curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/TABLE_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"alterTable": {
"operation": {
"drop": {
"columns": [ "COLUMN_NAME", "COLUMN_NAME" ]
}
}
}
}'Parameters
| Name | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|
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The alter operation to perform. Can be one of the following:
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Examples
The following examples demonstrate how to alter a table.
Add columns to a table
When you add columns, the columns are defined in the same way as they are when you create a table.
After you add a column, you should index the column if you want to filter or sort on the column. For more information, see Create an index (HTTP) and Create a vector index (HTTP).
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/TABLE_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"alterTable": {
"operation": {
"add": {
"columns": {
"is_summer_reading": "boolean",
"library_branch": "text"
}
}
}
}
}'Add vector columns to a table
After you add a vector column, you should index the column if you want run vector searches on the column. For more information, Create a vector index (HTTP).
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/TABLE_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"alterTable": {
"operation": {
"add": {
"columns": {
"example_vector": {
"type": "vector",
"dimension": 1024
}
}
}
}
}
}'Drop columns from a table
Dropping columns produces tombstones. Excessive tombstones can impact query performance.
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/TABLE_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"alterTable": {
"operation": {
"drop": {
"columns": ["is_summer_reading", "library_branch"]
}
}
}
}'