# Work with Athena views
<a name="views-console"></a>

Athena views can be easily created, updated, and managed in the Athena console.

## Create views
<a name="creating-views"></a>

You can create a view in the Athena console by using a template or by running an existing query.

**To use a template to create a view**

1. In the Athena console, next to **Tables and views**, choose **Create**, and then choose **Create view**.  
![Creating a view.](http://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/athena/latest/ug/images/create-view.png)

   This action places an editable view template into the query editor. 

1. Edit the view template according to your requirements. When you enter a name for the view in the statement, remember that view names cannot contain special characters other than underscore `(_)`. See [Name databases, tables, and columns](tables-databases-columns-names.md). Avoid using [Escape reserved keywords in queries](reserved-words.md) for naming views. 

   For more information about creating views, see [CREATE VIEW and CREATE PROTECTED MULTI DIALECT VIEW](create-view.md) and [Examples of Athena views](views-examples.md). 

1. Choose **Run** to create the view. The view appears in the list of views in the Athena console.

**To create a view from an existing query**

1. Use the Athena query editor to run an existing query.

1. Under the query editor window, choose **Create**, and then choose **View from query**.  
![Choose Create, View from query.](http://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/athena/latest/ug/images/create-view-from-query.png)

1. In the **Create View** dialog box, enter a name for the view, and then choose **Create**. View names cannot contain special characters other than underscore `(_)`. See [Name databases, tables, and columns](tables-databases-columns-names.md). Avoid using [Escape reserved keywords in queries](reserved-words.md) for naming views.

   Athena adds the view to the list of views in the console and displays the `CREATE VIEW` statement for the view in the query editor.

**Notes**
+ If you delete a table on which a table is based and then attempt to run the view, Athena displays an error message.
+ You can create a nested view, which is a view on top of an existing view. Athena prevents you from running a recursive view that references itself.