> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.pgschema.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW

## Syntax

```sql theme={null}
create_materialized_view ::= CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW [ IF NOT EXISTS ] view_name 
                             AS select_statement
                             [ WITH [ NO ] DATA ]

view_name ::= [schema.]name

select_statement ::= SELECT ...
```

pgschema understands the following `CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW` features:

* **Schema-qualified names**: Materialized views can be defined in specific schemas
* **IF NOT EXISTS**: Optional clause to avoid errors if the view already exists
* **AS clause**: Any valid SELECT statement that defines the view's contents
* **WITH \[NO] DATA**: Whether to populate the view immediately (WITH DATA) or defer population (WITH NO DATA)

## Canonical Format

When generating migration SQL, pgschema produces materialized views in the following canonical format:

```sql theme={null}
CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW IF NOT EXISTS [schema.]view_name AS
select_statement;
```

**Key characteristics of the canonical format:**

* Always uses `CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW IF NOT EXISTS` for creation
* Schema qualification included when necessary
* Preserves the original SELECT statement formatting
* For modifications: Materialized views cannot use `CREATE OR REPLACE`, so changes require a drop/create cycle
* For DROP operations: `DROP MATERIALIZED VIEW IF EXISTS view_name;`

**Note on modifications:** Unlike regular views which support `CREATE OR REPLACE`, materialized views must be dropped and recreated when their definition changes. pgschema handles this automatically during migration planning.