Table Types Comparison: SQL Server vs PostgreSQL

Table Type SQL Server PostgreSQL Scope / Lifetime Usage Notes Permanent Table CREATE TABLE Employee (...) CREATE TABLE Employee (...) Permanent in DB until…

Mar 19, 2026 1 min read

Table Type	SQL Server	PostgreSQL	Scope / Lifetime	Usage Notes
Permanent Table	`CREATE TABLE Employee (...)`	`CREATE TABLE Employee (...)`	Permanent in DB until dropped	Used for regular data storage
Local Temporary Table	`CREATE TABLE #Employee (...)`	`CREATE TEMP TABLE Employee (...)`	Session-local; auto dropped on disconnect	Used for session-specific temporary data
Global Temp Table	`CREATE TABLE ##Employee (...)`	Not supported	Available to all sessions until last disconnect	Shared temp data between sessions
Table Variable	`DECLARE @Employee TABLE (...)`	Not supported	Local to batch or procedure	Lightweight table variable for procedural code
Common Table Expression (CTE)	N/A (but SQL Server supports it too)	`WITH Employee AS (VALUES (...))`	Inline, read-only during a single query	Quick temporary inline data set for queries
Unlogged Table	N/A	`CREATE UNLOGGED TABLE Employee (...)`	Like permanent but faster, not WAL logged	For fast temp storage with risk of data loss

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