How to copy a row and insert in same table with a autoincrement field in MySQL?

Question

In MySQL I am trying to copy a row with an autoincrement column ID=1 and insert the data into same table as a new row with

Answer 1

I tend to use a variation of what mu is too short posted:

INSERT INTO something_log
SELECT NULL, s.*
FROM something AS s
WHERE s.id = 1;

As long as the tables have identical fields (excepting the auto increment on the log table), then this works nicely.

Since I use stored procedures whenever possible (to make life easier on other programmers who aren't too familiar with databases), this solves the problem of having to go back and update procedures every time you add a new field to a table.

It also ensures that if you add new fields to a table they will start appearing in the log table immediately without having to update your database queries (unless of course you have some that set a field explicitly)

Warning: You will want to make sure to add any new fields to both tables at the same time so that the field order stays the same... otherwise you will start getting odd bugs. If you are the only one that writes database interfaces AND you are very careful then this works nicely. Otherwise, stick to naming all of your fields.

Note: On second thought, unless you are working on a solo project that you are sure won't have others working on it stick to listing all field names explicitly and update your log statements as your schema changes. This shortcut probably is not worth the long term headache it can cause... especially on a production system.