---
title: "CREATE ACCESS METHOD"
id: sql-create-access-method
pg_version: "20devel"
---

<a id="sql-create-access-method"></a>

# CREATE ACCESS METHOD — define a new access method

## Synopsis

```
CREATE ACCESS METHOD name
    TYPE access_method_type
    HANDLER handler_function
```

<a id="id-1.9.3.57.5"></a>

## Description

`CREATE ACCESS METHOD` creates a new access method. 

The access method name must be unique within the database. 

Only superusers can define new access methods. 

<a id="id-1.9.3.57.6"></a>

## Parameters

**`name`**

 The name of the access method to be created. **`access_method_type`**

 This clause specifies the type of access method to define. Only `TABLE` and `INDEX` are supported at present. **`handler_function`**

 `handler_function` is the name (possibly schema-qualified) of a previously registered function that represents the access method. The handler function must be declared to take a single argument of type `internal`, and its return type depends on the type of access method; for `TABLE` access methods, it must be `table_am_handler` and for `INDEX` access methods, it must be `index_am_handler`. The C-level API that the handler function must implement varies depending on the type of access method. The table access method API is described in [Chapter 62](tableam.md) and the index access method API is described in [Chapter 63](indexam.md). <a id="id-1.9.3.57.7"></a>

## Examples

Create an index access method `heptree` with handler function `heptree_handler`: 
CREATE ACCESS METHOD heptree TYPE INDEX HANDLER heptree_handler;


<a id="id-1.9.3.57.8"></a>

## Compatibility

`CREATE ACCESS METHOD` is a PostgreSQL extension. 

<a id="id-1.9.3.57.9"></a>

## See Also

[DROP ACCESS METHOD](sql-drop-access-method.md), [CREATE OPERATOR CLASS](sql-createopclass.md), [CREATE OPERATOR FAMILY](sql-createopfamily.md)