Syntax options: AUTOMATIC AS value-expr AUTOMATIC INSERT AS value-expr AUTOMATIC UPDATE AS value-expr These AUTOMATIC column clauses allow you to store special information when data is inserted into a row or a row is updated. For example, you can log application-specific information to audit activity or provide essential values, such as time stamps or unique identifiers for the data. The assignment of values to these types of columns is managed by Oracle Rdb. The AUTOMATIC INSERT clause can be used to provide a complex default for the column when the row is inserted; it cannot be changed by an UPDATE statement. The AUTOMATIC UPDATE clause can be used to provide an updated value during an UPDATE statement. The unqualified AUTOMATIC clause specifies that the value expression should be applied during both INSERT and UPDATE statements. The column type is derived from the AS value-expr; using CAST allows a specific data type to be specified. However, this is not required and is rarely necessary. You can define an AUTOMATIC INSERT column to automatically receive data during an insert operation. The data is stored like any other column, but the column is read-only. Because AUTOMATIC columns are treated as read-only columns, they cannot appear in the column list for an insert operation nor be modified by an update operation. AUTOMATIC UPDATE columns can have an associated default value that will be used when the row is inserted.