How to create temp table using Create statement in SQL Server?

Question

How to create a temp table similarly to creating a normal table?

Example:

CREATE TABLE table_name 
(
    column1 datatype,
    column2 datatype,
    column3 datatype,
     ....
 );

Answer 1

Same thing, Just start the table name with # or ##:

CREATE TABLE #TemporaryTable          -- Local temporary table - starts with single #
(
    Col1 int,
    Col2 varchar(10)
    ....
);

CREATE TABLE ##GlobalTemporaryTable   -- Global temporary table - note it starts with ##.
(
    Col1 int,
    Col2 varchar(10)
    ....
);

Temporary table names start with # or ## - The first is a local temporary table and the last is a global temporary table.

Here is one of many articles describing the differences between them.

Answer 2

A temporary table can have 3 kinds, the # is the most used. This is a temp table that only exists in the current session. An equivalent of this is @, a declared table variable. This has a little less "functions" (like indexes etc) and is also only used for the current session. The ## is one that is the same as the #, however, the scope is wider, so you can use it within the same session, within other stored procedures.

You can create a temp table in various ways:

declare @table table (id int)
create table #table (id int)
create table ##table (id int)
select * into #table from xyz