Drupal 7 Module Development

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Appendix A
The db_insert() method creates a new insert query object for the imports table.
We then call the fields() method on that object. fields() takes an associative
array of values to insert. In this case, we are adding a record for one of the world's
great comedians. We then execute the query, causing it to be translated into the
appropriate query string and executed. If there is an auto-increment or "serial" field
in the imports table, the generated ID will be returned. That's all there is to it.
db_insert() can get fancier, too. For instance, it supports multi-insert statements.
To do that, we must first call fields() with an indexed array to specify what
fields we are going to use and then call the values() method repeatedly with
an associative array for each record.
$values[] = array(
'name' => 'Groucho',
'address' => '123 Casablanca Ave.',
'phone' => '555-1212',
);
$values[] = array(
'name' => 'Chico',
'address' => '456 Races St.',
'phone' => '555-1234',
);
$values[] = array(
'name' => 'Harpo',
'address' => '789 Horn Ave.',
'phone' => '555-1234',
);
$values[] = array(
'name' => 'Zeppo',
'address' => '22 University Way',
'phone' => '555-3579',
);
$insert = db_insert('imports')->fields(array('name', 'address',
'phone' => '555-1212'));
foreach ($values as $value) {
$insert->values($value);
}
$insert->execute();
On databases that support multi-insert statements, the preceding code will be run as
a single query. For those that don't, they will run as separate queries within a single
transaction. That makes them extremely powerful and efficient for mass import
operations. Note that in a multi-insert query the return value from execute() is
undefined and should be ignored.