How to Bulk Load Data into ParadeDB in PostgreSQL

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How do I bulk load data into ParadeDB using PostgreSQL COPY?

COPY swiftly imports millions of rows into ParadeDB tables with minimal WAL overhead.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What problem does COPY solve for ParadeDB?

ParadeDB relies on PostgreSQL storage. COPY moves data from files or STDIN directly into a table, bypassing row-by-row overhead. Use it to ingest large embedding sets, historical orders, or product catalogs.

When should I prefer COPY over INSERT?

Pick COPY when loading >10k rows, restoring exports, or backfilling new vector columns. INSERT is fine for small, transactional writes.

How do I prepare a CSV for ParadeDB?

Save UTF-8 CSVs without headers by default.Quote text fields, escape delimiters, and store numeric vectors as arrays like "{0.12,0.44,-0.88}".

Step-by-step CSV example

customers.csv
1,Jane Doe,jane@shop.com,2024-01-142,John Roe,john@shop.com,2024-02-02

What is the COPY syntax for ParadeDB?

-- from server-side file COPY target_table [ (column_list) ] FROM '/absolute/path/data.csv' WITH ( FORMAT csv, DELIMITER ',', NULL '', QUOTE '"', HEADER false, ENCODING 'UTF8' );. -- from client STDIN \copy target_table FROM program 'cat data.csv' WITH (FORMAT csv);

Practical example: load product embeddings

-- 1. ParadeDB table with vector column CREATE TABLE products_embeddings ( id BIGINT PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, price NUMERIC(10,2), embedding vector(384) -- ParadeDB vector type ); -- 2. Bulk load COPY products_embeddings (id, name, price, embedding) FROM '/var/lib/postgresql/import/products_embeddings.csv' WITH (FORMAT csv, DELIMITER ',', NULL '', ENCODING 'UTF8');

Best practices for fast ParadeDB loads

1) Disable indexes and constraints, load, then rebuild. 2) Increase maintenance_work_mem. 3) Use WAL-bypass: COPY ... FREEZE on Postgres ≥15.4) Split huge files into 1-2 GB chunks for parallel sessions.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mismatched column order: Always specify column list to avoid alignment errors.
Unexpected "invalid input syntax for type vector": Ensure embeddings are written as PostgreSQL array literals, not JSON.

FAQs

Can I COPY directly from S3?

No native command yet.Download to local storage or mount S3 via postgres_fdw or extensions, then run COPY.

Does COPY automatically index new rows?

Yes, but loading is fastest with indexes dropped first. Recreate indexes afterwards to speed up overall time.

How do I monitor progress?

Check pg_stat_progress_copy (Postgres 14+) to see bytes processed and estimate remaining time.

Why How to Bulk Load Data into ParadeDB in PostgreSQL is important

How to Bulk Load Data into ParadeDB in PostgreSQL Example Usage


-- Load last year's order items into ParadeDB for analytics
COPY OrderItems (id, order_id, product_id, quantity)
FROM '/import/order_items_2023.csv'
WITH (FORMAT csv, DELIMITER ',', NULL '', ENCODING 'UTF8');

How to Bulk Load Data into ParadeDB in PostgreSQL Syntax


COPY table_name [ ( column_name [, ...] ) ]
    FROM { 'filename' | PROGRAM 'command' | STDIN }
    [ WITH ( 
        FORMAT { csv | binary | text },
        DELIMITER 'c',
        NULL 'string',
        HEADER { true | false },
        QUOTE 'c',
        ESCAPE 'c',
        ENCODING 'name',
        FREEZE { true | false }
    ) ];

-- Ecommerce example: load Orders
COPY Orders (id, customer_id, order_date, total_amount)
FROM '/data/orders_2023.csv'
WITH (FORMAT csv, HEADER false, ENCODING 'UTF8');

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to specify a column list. Without it, COPY assumes file columns match table order. Mismatches trigger data shift and errors. Always add (col1, col2, …).
Leaving indexes enabled during massive loads. Each row update forces index maintenance, slowing ingestion dramatically. Drop or disable indexes first, then recreate.