.. _2026-09-30-express-rule-create-table_release:

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2026-09-30 - Express Rules Can Now Create Tables
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Release
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AgileData.io - More Than Views: Build Physical Tables With Express Rules

Express Rules let you write your own SQL when a standard rule pattern doesn't fit. Until now they could only create views, which are re-calculated every time they are queried. For heavier logic, or for outputs queried often, a physical table is faster and cheaper to read.

Express Rules now accept ``CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE`` as well as ``CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW``. You can include partitioning and clustering options to tune performance. The table is rebuilt in full whenever its source data refreshes, so it always reflects the latest data.

Each Express Rule must contain a single statement. Any edit to the SQL is detected automatically, so switching an output from a view to a table, or changing its partitioning, rebuilds the target cleanly.

**What's New:**

* ``CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE`` supported in Express Rules, including ``PARTITION BY``, ``CLUSTER BY`` and ``OPTIONS``
* Tables refresh automatically when the source they read from is updated
* SQL changes are detected automatically and trigger a clean rebuild
* Express Rules are limited to one statement, to keep each rule predictable

**What this means for you:**

* Faster queries on complex Express outputs
* Lower query costs for outputs that many reports read
* Freedom to switch between a view and a table without a manual rebuild

Last Refreshed
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*Doc Refreshed: 2026-10-21*