What is a temporary table in SQL?

A temporary table is a table that exists only for the duration of the current session or connection and is automatically deleted when the session ends or the connection is closed.

Creating a temporary table

MySQL 8.1
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE TempTable (
    id INT,
    name VARCHAR(100)
);

Using a temporary table

MySQL 8.1
-- inserting data into the temporary table
INSERT INTO #TempTable (id, name)
VALUES (1, 'Иван'), (2, 'Петр');

-- selecting data from the temporary table
SELECT * FROM #TempTable;

-- the temporary table will be automatically deleted after the session ends

Applications of temporary tables

• Storing intermediate results in complex queries.
• Handling large datasets in batch operations.
• Avoiding conflicts when multiple users are working simultaneously.