Search Documentation: Home → Documentation → Manuals → PostgreSQL 9.3 This page in other versions: 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2 / 9.3 |  Development versions: devel / 9.4 |  Unsupported versions: 8.4 PostgreSQL 9.3.5 Documentation Prev Up Chapter 7. Queries Next 7.8. WITH Queries (Common Table Expressions) WITH provides a way to write auxiliary statements for use in a larger query. These statements, which are often referred to as Common Table Expressions or CTE s, can be thought of as defining temporary tables that exist just for one query. Each auxiliary statement in a WITH clause can be a SELECT , INSERT , UPDATE , or DELETE ; and the WITH clause itself is attached to a primary statement that can also be a SELECT , INSERT , UPDATE , or DELETE . 7.8.1. SELECT in WITH The basic value of SELECT in WITH is to break down complicated ...