---
title: Create and configure a hypertable | Tiger Data Docs
description: Create a hypertable, set chunk intervals, control default indexes, and migrate existing data
---

Hypertables turn ordinary PostgreSQL tables into time-partitioned tables made of **chunks**, so you can scale to very large datasets. Add `WITH (timescaledb.hypertable)` to a standard `CREATE TABLE` statement to create one.

## Create a hypertable

The simplest form auto-detects the partition column from the first `timestamptz` column and adds `NOT NULL` automatically if needed:

```
CREATE TABLE sensor_data (
  time        TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  device_id   INT,
  temperature DOUBLE PRECISION
) WITH (timescaledb.hypertable);
```

If your table has multiple timestamp columns or uses a non-standard name, specify the partition column explicitly:

```
CREATE TABLE order_events (
  created_at  TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  order_id    BIGINT,
  status      TEXT
) WITH (
  timescaledb.hypertable,
  timescaledb.partition_column = 'created_at'
);
```

## Configuration options

Set these options in the `WITH` clause to control how the hypertable is created:

| Option                               | Default       | Description                                                                                                                                                               |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `timescaledb.hypertable`             | —             | Required. Marks the table as a hypertable.                                                                                                                                |
| `timescaledb.partition_column`       | Auto-detected | The column used to partition data into chunks. Auto-detected from the first `timestamptz` column. Required if the table has no `timestamptz` column or has more than one. |
| `timescaledb.chunk_interval`         | `7 days`      | The time range each chunk covers. Tune this for your ingest rate and memory. See [Sizing hypertable chunks](/docs/learn/hypertables/sizing-hypertable-chunks/index.md).   |
| `timescaledb.create_default_indexes` | `true`        | Creates an index on the partition column automatically. Set to `false` for large bulk loads where you want to add indexes after loading.                                  |

### Set chunk interval

Choose a chunk interval so that all active chunks fit in memory. The default is 7 days, which works well for many workloads. For high-throughput ingestion, a shorter interval like 1 day may be better:

```
CREATE TABLE high_throughput_metrics (
  time        TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  device_id   INT,
  value       DOUBLE PRECISION
) WITH (
  timescaledb.hypertable,
  timescaledb.chunk_interval = '1 day'
);
```

### Disable default indexes

For large bulk loads into a new hypertable, skip automatic index creation and add indexes after the data is loaded:

```
CREATE TABLE bulk_load_target (
  time        TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  device_id   INT,
  value       DOUBLE PRECISION
) WITH (
  timescaledb.hypertable,
  timescaledb.create_default_indexes = false
);


-- Load data first, then create indexes
CREATE INDEX ON bulk_load_target (time DESC);
CREATE INDEX ON bulk_load_target (device_id, time DESC);
```

## Convert an existing table

To convert a PostgreSQL table that already has data, use the `create_hypertable()` function with `migrate_data`:

```
SELECT create_hypertable('existing_table', by_range('time'), migrate_data => true);
```

For very large tables, this can be slow and lock-heavy. A safer approach is to create an empty hypertable and load data in batches:

```
CREATE TABLE new_table (LIKE existing_table INCLUDING ALL)
  WITH (timescaledb.hypertable);


INSERT INTO new_table SELECT * FROM existing_table;
```

## Learn more

- [Partition a hypertable](/docs/learn/hypertables/partitioning-hypertables/index.md): Time, integer, and space partitioning.
- [Sizing hypertable chunks](/docs/learn/hypertables/sizing-hypertable-chunks/index.md): Choosing the right chunk interval.
- [Hypertable indexes](/docs/learn/hypertables/hypertable-indexes/index.md): Default and custom indexes.
- [Primary keys, time columns, and uniqueness](/docs/learn/data-model/primary-keys-time-and-uniqueness/index.md): Partition column and constraint rules.
- [CREATE TABLE reference](/docs/reference/timescaledb/hypertables/create_table/index.md): Full API reference.
- [`create_hypertable()` reference](/docs/reference/timescaledb/hypertables/create_hypertable/index.md): For converting existing tables.