Using Flex Tables

This guide describes how to use flexible (flex) tables, which are a different kind of database table designed for loading and querying unstructured data, also called semi-structured data in your Vertica Analytics Platform. Flex tables can contain only unstructured, raw data, or both unstructured and columnar data. You can create a flex table with or without a schema or real columns. Hybrid tables consist of both unstructured and real columns. Both flex and hybrid tables are fully supported Vertica Analytics Platform tables, stored as projections and with the same K-safety as your database.

Audience

This guide is intended for use by any user or database designer or application developer interested in working with flexible tables in the database.

Prerequisites

This guide assumes that Vertica Analytics Platform Version 9.1.x is installed and running in your environment.

It also assumes that you are familiar with using the Vertica Analytics Platform, especially the following features and commands:

• Loading data with the COPY statement and its basic parameters
• Using statements to create tables CREATE TABLE or CTAS (create table as…)
• Altering table definitions with the ALTER TABLE statement
• Creating and using Views (CREATE VIEW)
• Querying data using the SELECT statement
• Using functions for your database

If you are not familiar with these tasks and features, see Getting Started.