lancedb/docs/web/management/index.mdx

---
title: "Management"
sidebarTitle: "Overview"
description: "Create, list, and drop the objects in a catalog, from Python, TypeScript, or SQL."
icon: folder-tree
keywords: ["ddl", "create", "drop", "list", "catalog", "management"]
---

Every [catalog object](/basics/catalog) is created, listed, and dropped the same
few ways. This section is the reference for those operations; the pages linked
from it cover what each object is for.

Operations that can take a while have an `_async` form returning a
[job](/basics/jobs).

## The surface at a glance {#surface}

<Note>
SQL requires a deployment -- a local database has no engine to plan a statement.
See [SQL](/basics/sql#sql-is-remote).
</Note>

### Namespaces {#namespaces}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | `create_namespace` | `createNamespace` | -- |
| list | `list_namespaces` | `listNamespaces` | -- |
| describe | `describe_namespace` | `describeNamespace` | -- |
| exists | `namespace_exists` | -- | -- |
| drop | `drop_namespace` | `dropNamespace` | -- |

See [Namespaces](/management/namespace).

### Tables {#tables}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | `create_table` | `createTable` | `CREATE TABLE` |
| create empty | `create_table(schema=)` | `createEmptyTable` | `CREATE TABLE` |
| open | `open_table` | `openTable` | -- |
| list | `table_names`, `list_tables` | `tableNames`, `listTables` | -- |
| exists | `table_exists` | -- | -- |
| rename | `rename_table` | `renameTable` | -- |
| clone | `clone_table` | `cloneTable` | -- |
| drop | `drop_table`, `drop_table_async` | `dropTable`, `dropTableAsync` | `DROP TABLE` |
| drop all | `drop_all_tables` | `dropAllTables` | -- |

See [Tables](/management/table) for creating one and shaping its schema.

### Materialized views {#materialized-views}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | `create_materialized_view` | `createMaterializedView` | `CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW` |
| open | `open_materialized_view` | `openMaterializedView` | -- |
| list | `list_materialized_views` | `listMaterializedViews` | `SHOW MATERIALIZED VIEWS` |
| refresh | `refresh` | `refresh` | `REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW` |
| drop | `drop_table` | `dropTable` | `DROP TABLE` |

<Note>
`list_materialized_views` reads every table's schema to find them, so it costs
one open per table. `SHOW MATERIALIZED VIEWS` asks the server instead.
</Note>

See [Materialized views](/management/materialized-view) for creating one, and
[Refresh a materialized view](/feature-engineering/materialized-views) for keeping
it current.

### Views {#views}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | -- | -- | `CREATE VIEW` |
| drop | -- | -- | `DROP VIEW` |

<Badge color="red">Enterprise</Badge> Views exist only in SQL -- there is no SDK
method for them, because the thing a view stores *is* a SQL statement. See
[Views](/management/view).

### Functions {#functions}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | `create_function`, `create_function_async` | -- | `CREATE FUNCTION` |
| get | `get_function` | -- | -- |
| list | `list_functions` | -- | `SHOW FUNCTIONS` |
| drop | `drop_function` | -- | -- |

<Badge color="red">Enterprise</Badge> A function runs on the server, so there is
no local form. The TypeScript SDK has no function methods; use Python or SQL.
See [Functions](/management/function).

### Jobs {#jobs}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| list | `list_jobs` | `listJobs` | `SHOW JOBS` |
| open | `open_job` | `openJob` | -- |
| cancel | `cancel_job` | `cancelJob` | -- |
| errors | `job.events` | `job.events` | `SHOW ERRORS` |

See [Jobs](/basics/jobs).

### Indexes {#indexes}

| | Python | TypeScript | SQL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| create | `create_index`, `create_index_async` | `createIndex`, `createIndexAsync` | `CREATE INDEX` |
| list | `list_indices` | `listIndices` | -- |
| stats | `index_stats` | `indexStats` | -- |
| drop | `drop_index` | `dropIndex` | `DROP INDEX` |

<Note>
SQL `CREATE INDEX` covers one column and takes no user-chosen name -- the server
names it. For a multi-column or named index, use the SDK.
</Note>

Indexes are a performance decision rather than a structural one, so they are
covered under [Maintenance](/indexing).

## Namespaces qualify everything {#namespace-paths}

Most connection-level operations take a `namespace_path` (`namespacePath`) to
act inside a namespace rather than at the database root:

<CodeGroup>
```python Python icon="python"
db.table_names(namespace_path=["prod", "events"])
tbl = db.open_table("clicks", namespace_path=["prod", "events"])
```

```typescript TypeScript icon="square-js"
await db.tableNames({ namespacePath: ["prod", "events"] });
const tbl = await db.openTable("clicks", { namespacePath: ["prod", "events"] });
```

```sql SQL
SELECT * FROM prod.events.clicks
```
</CodeGroup>

In SQL the path is written as dotted identifiers instead.

## Dropping is not undoable {#dropping}

<Warning>
`drop_table` removes the table and every version of it. Table
[versioning](/management/table#versioning) does not survive the table being dropped, and
neither `drop_database` nor `drop_all_tables` asks for confirmation.
</Warning>

Dropping a **view** removes only the saved query. Dropping a **materialized
view** removes stored rows, because a materialized view is a table.