Connecting with psql

Depending on the default values used or the environment variables you have set, the following examples show how to access a database via psql:

  1. $ psql -d gpdatabase -h master_host -p 5432 -U `gpadmin`
  1. $ psql gpdatabase
  1. $ psql

If a user-defined database has not yet been created, you can access the system by connecting to the template1 database. For example:

  1. $ psql template1

After connecting to a database, psql provides a prompt with the name of the database to which psql is currently connected, followed by the string => (or =# if you are the database superuser). For example:

  1. gpdatabase=>

At the prompt, you may type in SQL commands. A SQL command must end with a ; (semicolon) in order to be sent to the server and executed. For example:

  1. => SELECT * FROM mytable;