9.17.INSERT Statement

    insert_statement
            : INSERT insert_mode table priv_opt_column_commalist values_or_query_spec
            ;

    insert_mode
            : INTO
            | REPLACING
            | SOFT

    priv_opt_column_commalist
            : /* empty */
            | '(' column_commalist ')'

            ;

    values_or_query_spec
            : VALUES '(' insert_atom_commalist ')'
            | query_spec
            ;

    insert_atom_commalist
            : insert_atom
            | insert_atom_commalist ',' insert_atom
            ;

    insert_atom
            : scalar_exp
            ;

    column_commalist
            : column
            | column_commalist ',' column
            ;

    query_spec
            : SELECT opt_all_distinct selection table_exp
            ; ... See the SELECT statement next.

New rows (or records) are entered into a database using the INSERT statement.

If you have to enter a NULL you can simply use the keyword NULL, as you would a normal value. Since NULL is a special keyword you do not need to enclose it in single quotes.

You can specify the columns that you are inserting values into in the insert statement. One should always specify the columns that you are inserting into, in case the order of columns in the database are not as expected, or you are not inserting values into every column.

If a value is not specified for a column on insert, then the default value will be used for that column. If no default value has been specified either by a CREATE or MODIFY TABLE statement then NULL will be used.