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Explain the differences between table re-creation and ALTER TABLE operations.

SQLmedium0.5 min readPremium
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
487
questions in SQL
Difficulty Split
130E|271M|86H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Capco
Key Concepts Tested
partition
Expert AnswerPremium
93 wordsInterview-ready
**ALTER TABLE**: In-place metadata or incremental change; minimal downtime; supported for add column, drop column (some systems), rename. **Re-creation** (CTAS, DROP+CREATE): Full copy; changes storage format, clustering, partitioning; reclaims space from deletes. **Why ALTER**: Zero-downtime schema evolution; additive changes (new column with default) are instant in most systems....
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