> ## 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 VIEW

## Syntax

```sql theme={null}
create_view ::= CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] VIEW [ IF NOT EXISTS ] view_name 
                AS select_statement

view_name ::= [schema.]name

select_statement ::= SELECT ...
```

pgschema understands the following `CREATE VIEW` features:

* **Schema-qualified names**: Views can be defined in specific schemas
* **OR REPLACE**: Optional clause to replace an existing view definition
* **AS clause**: Any valid SELECT statement that defines the view's contents
* **View dependencies**: Proper handling of view-to-view dependencies

## Canonical Format

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

```sql theme={null}
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW [schema.]view_name AS
select_statement;
```

**Key characteristics of the canonical format:**

* Always uses `CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW` for creation and modifications
* Schema qualification included when necessary
* Preserves the original SELECT statement formatting
* For DROP operations: `DROP VIEW IF EXISTS view_name CASCADE;`

**Note on modifications:** Regular views support `CREATE OR REPLACE`, allowing seamless updates to view definitions without dropping dependent objects. pgschema leverages this feature for efficient view migrations.