MotherDuck SQL

MotherDuck extends DuckDB with cloud-native SQL capabilities for managing databases, shares, secrets, and connections. These statements let you work with MotherDuck's serverless infrastructure directly from SQL.

Key capabilities:

• Database management: Create, copy, attach, and drop cloud databases
• Data sharing: Share data with other users and organizations
• Secrets management: Store and manage credentials securely
• AI functions: Generate embeddings, run prompts, and get SQL assistance

For standard SQL operations, see the DuckDB Syntax reference.

AI

3 items

ATTACH

Attach local databases, MotherDuck databases, or public shares to your session

COPY FROM DATABASE (OVERWRITE)

Overwrite a database with a zero-copy clone from another database.

COPY FROM DATABASE

Copy a database from one location to another in MotherDuck

CREATE DATABASE

Create a database, zero-copy clone from an existing database, or import a local DuckDB file into MotherDuck.

CREATE SECRET

Create a secret in MotherDuck

CREATE SHARE

Create a share from a database to share data with other users

CREATE SNAPSHOT

Create a read-only snapshot for read-scaling Ducklings.

DROP SECRET

Delete a secret from MotherDuck or local storage.

DESCRIBE SHARE

Get details about a specific share by name or URL.

DETACH

Detach local, remote, or shared databases from your session

DROP DATABASE

Remove a database from MotherDuck.

DROP SHARE

Delete a share and revoke access for all attached users.

EXPLAIN ANALYZE

Execute a query and display performance metrics for each operator.

EXPLAIN

Display the physical query plan without executing the query.

GRANT READ ON SHARE

Give users access to a restricted share.

LIST SECRETS

List all secrets stored in memory and MotherDuck.

LIST SHARES

List all shares created by the current user.

MD_RUN parameter

Control whether table functions run locally or remotely.

PRINT_MD_TOKEN pragma

Retrieve your MotherDuck authentication token.

REFRESH DATABASE

Sync databases with the latest snapshot or share updates.

REVOKE READ ON SHARE

Remove user access from a restricted share.

SHOW ALL DATABASES

List all MotherDuck, DuckDB, and shared databases.

TEMPORARY TABLES

Create local temporary tables for session-scoped data.

UPDATE SHARE

Manually update a share with a new database snapshot.

Server Connection Management

3 items

MD_INFORMATION_SCHEMA

7 items