Related
Does PostgreSQL support computed / calculated columns, like MS SQL Server? I can't find anything in the docs, but as this feature is included in many other DBMSs I thought I might be missing something.
Eg: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191250.aspx
Postgres 12 or newer
STORED generated columns are introduced with Postgres 12 - as defined in the SQL standard and implemented by some RDBMS including DB2, MySQL, and Oracle. Or the similar "computed columns" of SQL Server.
Trivial example:
CREATE TABLE tbl (
int1 int
, int2 int
, product bigint GENERATED ALWAYS AS (int1 * int2) STORED
);
fiddle
VIRTUAL generated columns may come with one of the next iterations. (Not in Postgres 15, yet).
Related:
Attribute notation for function call gives error
Postgres 11 or older
Up to Postgres 11 "generated columns" are not supported.
You can emulate VIRTUAL generated columns with a function using attribute notation (tbl.col) that looks and works much like a virtual generated column. That's a bit of a syntax oddity which exists in Postgres for historic reasons and happens to fit the case. This related answer has code examples:
Store common query as column?
The expression (looking like a column) is not included in a SELECT * FROM tbl, though. You always have to list it explicitly.
Can also be supported with a matching expression index - provided the function is IMMUTABLE. Like:
CREATE FUNCTION col(tbl) ... AS ... -- your computed expression here
CREATE INDEX ON tbl(col(tbl));
Alternatives
Alternatively, you can implement similar functionality with a VIEW, optionally coupled with expression indexes. Then SELECT * can include the generated column.
"Persisted" (STORED) computed columns can be implemented with triggers in a functionally equivalent way.
Materialized views are a related concept, implemented since Postgres 9.3.
In earlier versions one can manage MVs manually.
YES you can!! The solution should be easy, safe, and performant...
I'm new to postgresql, but it seems you can create computed columns by using an expression index, paired with a view (the view is optional, but makes makes life a bit easier).
Suppose my computation is md5(some_string_field), then I create the index as:
CREATE INDEX some_string_field_md5_index ON some_table(MD5(some_string_field));
Now, any queries that act on MD5(some_string_field) will use the index rather than computing it from scratch. For example:
SELECT MAX(some_field) FROM some_table GROUP BY MD5(some_string_field);
You can check this with explain.
However at this point you are relying on users of the table knowing exactly how to construct the column. To make life easier, you can create a VIEW onto an augmented version of the original table, adding in the computed value as a new column:
CREATE VIEW some_table_augmented AS
SELECT *, MD5(some_string_field) as some_string_field_md5 from some_table;
Now any queries using some_table_augmented will be able to use some_string_field_md5 without worrying about how it works..they just get good performance. The view doesn't copy any data from the original table, so it is good memory-wise as well as performance-wise. Note however that you can't update/insert into a view, only into the source table, but if you really want, I believe you can redirect inserts and updates to the source table using rules (I could be wrong on that last point as I've never tried it myself).
Edit: it seems if the query involves competing indices, the planner engine may sometimes not use the expression-index at all. The choice seems to be data dependant.
One way to do this is with a trigger!
CREATE TABLE computed(
one SERIAL,
two INT NOT NULL
);
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION computed_two_trg()
RETURNS trigger
LANGUAGE plpgsql
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $BODY$
BEGIN
NEW.two = NEW.one * 2;
RETURN NEW;
END
$BODY$;
CREATE TRIGGER computed_500
BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE
ON computed
FOR EACH ROW
EXECUTE PROCEDURE computed_two_trg();
The trigger is fired before the row is updated or inserted. It changes the field that we want to compute of NEW record and then it returns that record.
PostgreSQL 12 supports generated columns:
PostgreSQL 12 Beta 1 Released!
Generated Columns
PostgreSQL 12 allows the creation of generated columns that compute their values with an expression using the contents of other columns. This feature provides stored generated columns, which are computed on inserts and updates and are saved on disk. Virtual generated columns, which are computed only when a column is read as part of a query, are not implemented yet.
Generated Columns
A generated column is a special column that is always computed from other columns. Thus, it is for columns what a view is for tables.
CREATE TABLE people (
...,
height_cm numeric,
height_in numeric GENERATED ALWAYS AS (height_cm * 2.54) STORED
);
db<>fiddle demo
Well, not sure if this is what You mean but Posgres normally support "dummy" ETL syntax.
I created one empty column in table and then needed to fill it by calculated records depending on values in row.
UPDATE table01
SET column03 = column01*column02; /*e.g. for multiplication of 2 values*/
It is so dummy I suspect it is not what You are looking for.
Obviously it is not dynamic, you run it once. But no obstacle to get it into trigger.
Example on creating an empty virtual column
,(SELECT *
From (values (''))
A("virtual_col"))
Example on creating two virtual columns with values
SELECT *
From (values (45,'Completed')
, (1,'In Progress')
, (1,'Waiting')
, (1,'Loading')
) A("Count","Status")
order by "Count" desc
I have a code that works and use the term calculated, I'm not on postgresSQL pure tho we run on PADB
here is how it's used
create table some_table as
select category,
txn_type,
indiv_id,
accum_trip_flag,
max(first_true_origin) as true_origin,
max(first_true_dest ) as true_destination,
max(id) as id,
count(id) as tkts_cnt,
(case when calculated tkts_cnt=1 then 1 else 0 end) as one_way
from some_rando_table
group by 1,2,3,4 ;
A lightweight solution with Check constraint:
CREATE TABLE example (
discriminator INTEGER DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL CHECK (discriminator = 0)
);
Does PostgreSQL support computed / calculated columns, like MS SQL Server? I can't find anything in the docs, but as this feature is included in many other DBMSs I thought I might be missing something.
Eg: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191250.aspx
Postgres 12 or newer
STORED generated columns are introduced with Postgres 12 - as defined in the SQL standard and implemented by some RDBMS including DB2, MySQL, and Oracle. Or the similar "computed columns" of SQL Server.
Trivial example:
CREATE TABLE tbl (
int1 int
, int2 int
, product bigint GENERATED ALWAYS AS (int1 * int2) STORED
);
fiddle
VIRTUAL generated columns may come with one of the next iterations. (Not in Postgres 15, yet).
Related:
Attribute notation for function call gives error
Postgres 11 or older
Up to Postgres 11 "generated columns" are not supported.
You can emulate VIRTUAL generated columns with a function using attribute notation (tbl.col) that looks and works much like a virtual generated column. That's a bit of a syntax oddity which exists in Postgres for historic reasons and happens to fit the case. This related answer has code examples:
Store common query as column?
The expression (looking like a column) is not included in a SELECT * FROM tbl, though. You always have to list it explicitly.
Can also be supported with a matching expression index - provided the function is IMMUTABLE. Like:
CREATE FUNCTION col(tbl) ... AS ... -- your computed expression here
CREATE INDEX ON tbl(col(tbl));
Alternatives
Alternatively, you can implement similar functionality with a VIEW, optionally coupled with expression indexes. Then SELECT * can include the generated column.
"Persisted" (STORED) computed columns can be implemented with triggers in a functionally equivalent way.
Materialized views are a related concept, implemented since Postgres 9.3.
In earlier versions one can manage MVs manually.
YES you can!! The solution should be easy, safe, and performant...
I'm new to postgresql, but it seems you can create computed columns by using an expression index, paired with a view (the view is optional, but makes makes life a bit easier).
Suppose my computation is md5(some_string_field), then I create the index as:
CREATE INDEX some_string_field_md5_index ON some_table(MD5(some_string_field));
Now, any queries that act on MD5(some_string_field) will use the index rather than computing it from scratch. For example:
SELECT MAX(some_field) FROM some_table GROUP BY MD5(some_string_field);
You can check this with explain.
However at this point you are relying on users of the table knowing exactly how to construct the column. To make life easier, you can create a VIEW onto an augmented version of the original table, adding in the computed value as a new column:
CREATE VIEW some_table_augmented AS
SELECT *, MD5(some_string_field) as some_string_field_md5 from some_table;
Now any queries using some_table_augmented will be able to use some_string_field_md5 without worrying about how it works..they just get good performance. The view doesn't copy any data from the original table, so it is good memory-wise as well as performance-wise. Note however that you can't update/insert into a view, only into the source table, but if you really want, I believe you can redirect inserts and updates to the source table using rules (I could be wrong on that last point as I've never tried it myself).
Edit: it seems if the query involves competing indices, the planner engine may sometimes not use the expression-index at all. The choice seems to be data dependant.
One way to do this is with a trigger!
CREATE TABLE computed(
one SERIAL,
two INT NOT NULL
);
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION computed_two_trg()
RETURNS trigger
LANGUAGE plpgsql
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $BODY$
BEGIN
NEW.two = NEW.one * 2;
RETURN NEW;
END
$BODY$;
CREATE TRIGGER computed_500
BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE
ON computed
FOR EACH ROW
EXECUTE PROCEDURE computed_two_trg();
The trigger is fired before the row is updated or inserted. It changes the field that we want to compute of NEW record and then it returns that record.
PostgreSQL 12 supports generated columns:
PostgreSQL 12 Beta 1 Released!
Generated Columns
PostgreSQL 12 allows the creation of generated columns that compute their values with an expression using the contents of other columns. This feature provides stored generated columns, which are computed on inserts and updates and are saved on disk. Virtual generated columns, which are computed only when a column is read as part of a query, are not implemented yet.
Generated Columns
A generated column is a special column that is always computed from other columns. Thus, it is for columns what a view is for tables.
CREATE TABLE people (
...,
height_cm numeric,
height_in numeric GENERATED ALWAYS AS (height_cm * 2.54) STORED
);
db<>fiddle demo
Well, not sure if this is what You mean but Posgres normally support "dummy" ETL syntax.
I created one empty column in table and then needed to fill it by calculated records depending on values in row.
UPDATE table01
SET column03 = column01*column02; /*e.g. for multiplication of 2 values*/
It is so dummy I suspect it is not what You are looking for.
Obviously it is not dynamic, you run it once. But no obstacle to get it into trigger.
Example on creating an empty virtual column
,(SELECT *
From (values (''))
A("virtual_col"))
Example on creating two virtual columns with values
SELECT *
From (values (45,'Completed')
, (1,'In Progress')
, (1,'Waiting')
, (1,'Loading')
) A("Count","Status")
order by "Count" desc
I have a code that works and use the term calculated, I'm not on postgresSQL pure tho we run on PADB
here is how it's used
create table some_table as
select category,
txn_type,
indiv_id,
accum_trip_flag,
max(first_true_origin) as true_origin,
max(first_true_dest ) as true_destination,
max(id) as id,
count(id) as tkts_cnt,
(case when calculated tkts_cnt=1 then 1 else 0 end) as one_way
from some_rando_table
group by 1,2,3,4 ;
A lightweight solution with Check constraint:
CREATE TABLE example (
discriminator INTEGER DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL CHECK (discriminator = 0)
);
I am attempting to build a view to be used in crystal reports that allows us to look up GL codes. Unfortunately, our ERP creates a new SQL table each year and appends it the last 2 digits onto the table name.
Unless I can find a way to change which table it looks at based off the date I will need to manually change the view every year for each of the views I am creating. Any advice?
This Year: select * from GL000016
Next Year: select * from GL000017
Here is the MSSQL version:
DECLARE #SQLQuery AS NVARCHAR(500)
DECLARE #TableName AS NVARCHAR(100)
SET #TableName = 'GL0000' + RIGHT(CONVERT(CHAR(4), GETDATE(), 120),2)
SET #SQLQuery = 'SELECT * FROM ' + #TableName
EXECUTE sp_executesql #SQLQuery
You could also use a stored procedure depending on the environment. #Tablename will hold the table name if that is all you need (i.e. SELECT #Tablename).
You can use the T-SQL Year function.
Returns an integer that represents the year of the specified date.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186313.aspx
So for this year, the following will return 17.
select (YEAR(GETDATE()) % 100) + 1
Not exactly possible to switch tables dynamically for Views
If you want to switch the table you are selecting from, you'll need the to use IF statements or do Dynamic sql. Considering that you want to do this in a view, both of those are not available to you. So from my perspective, your options are:
Switch to use a stored procedure and use dynamic sql or if statements
Switch to use a function that returns a table (again, dynamic sql or if statements)
A Sql job that periodically runs a stored procedure that uses dynamic sql to re-create the view with the correct GL Account table name.
If you have to use a view, then 3 is probably your option, but it comes with a maintenance and handover overhead. Next person working on this project might be wondering why their view changes keeps getting overwritten.
Create yourself a temporary table that match the common structure of your GL0000XX table.
You then have to use dynamic SQL to query your tables.
CREATE TABLE #GL ....;
DECLARE #year char(2) = YEAR(GETDATE()) % 100;
INSERT INTO #GL
EXEC('SELECT * FROM GL0000' + #year);
Is there a way to get the column names that an arbitrary query will return using just T-SQL that works with pre-2012 versions of Microsoft SQL Server?
What Doesn't Work:
sys.columns and INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS work great for obtaining the column list for tables or views but don't work with arbitrary queries.
sys.dm_exec_describe_first_result would be perfect except that this management function was added in SQL Server 2012. What I'm writing needs to be backwards compatible to SQL Server 2005.
A custom CLR function could easily provide this information but introduces deployment complexities on the server side. I'd rather not go this route.
Any ideas?
So long as the arbitrary query qualifies to be used as a nested query (i.e. no CTEs, unique column names, etc.), this can be achieved by loading the query's metadata into a temp table, then retrieving column details via sys.tables:
SELECT TOP 0 * INTO #t FROM (query goes here) q
SELECT name FROM tempdb.sys.columns WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#t')
DROP TABLE #t
Thanks to #MartinSmith's for suggesting this approach!
Is it possible to declare a variable within a View? For example:
Declare #SomeVar varchar(8) = 'something'
gives me the syntax error:
Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'Declare'.
You are correct. Local variables are not allowed in a VIEW.
You can set a local variable in a table valued function, which returns a result set (like a view does.)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191165.aspx
e.g.
CREATE FUNCTION dbo.udf_foo()
RETURNS #ret TABLE (col INT)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE #myvar INT;
SELECT #myvar = 1;
INSERT INTO #ret SELECT #myvar;
RETURN;
END;
GO
SELECT * FROM dbo.udf_foo();
GO
You could use WITH to define your expressions. Then do a simple Sub-SELECT to access those definitions.
CREATE VIEW MyView
AS
WITH MyVars (SomeVar, Var2)
AS (
SELECT
'something' AS 'SomeVar',
123 AS 'Var2'
)
SELECT *
FROM MyTable
WHERE x = (SELECT SomeVar FROM MyVars)
EDIT: I tried using a CTE on my previous answer which was incorrect, as pointed out by #bummi. This option should work instead:
Here's one option using a CROSS APPLY, to kind of work around this problem:
SELECT st.Value, Constants.CONSTANT_ONE, Constants.CONSTANT_TWO
FROM SomeTable st
CROSS APPLY (
SELECT 'Value1' AS CONSTANT_ONE,
'Value2' AS CONSTANT_TWO
) Constants
#datenstation had the correct concept. Here is a working example that uses CTE to cache variable's names:
CREATE VIEW vwImportant_Users AS
WITH params AS (
SELECT
varType='%Admin%',
varMinStatus=1)
SELECT status, name
FROM sys.sysusers, params
WHERE status > varMinStatus OR name LIKE varType
SELECT * FROM vwImportant_Users
also via JOIN
WITH params AS ( SELECT varType='%Admin%', varMinStatus=1)
SELECT status, name
FROM sys.sysusers INNER JOIN params ON 1=1
WHERE status > varMinStatus OR name LIKE varType
also via CROSS APPLY
WITH params AS ( SELECT varType='%Admin%', varMinStatus=1)
SELECT status, name
FROM sys.sysusers CROSS APPLY params
WHERE status > varMinStatus OR name LIKE varType
Yes this is correct, you can't have variables in views
(there are other restrictions too).
Views can be used for cases where the result can be replaced with a select statement.
Using functions as spencer7593 mentioned is a correct approach for dynamic data. For static data, a more performant approach which is consistent with SQL data design (versus the anti-pattern of writting massive procedural code in sprocs) is to create a separate table with the static values and join to it. This is extremely beneficial from a performace perspective since the SQL Engine can build effective execution plans around a JOIN, and you have the potential to add indexes as well if needed.
The disadvantage of using functions (or any inline calculated values) is the callout happens for every potential row returned, which is costly. Why? Because SQL has to first create a full dataset with the calculated values and then apply the WHERE clause to that dataset.
Nine times out of ten you should not need dynamically calculated cell values in your queries. Its much better to figure out what you will need, then design a data model that supports it, and populate that data model with semi-dynamic data (via batch jobs for instance) and use the SQL Engine to do the heavy lifting via standard SQL.
What I do is create a view that performs the same select as the table variable and link that view into the second view. So a view can select from another view. This achieves the same result
How often do you need to refresh the view? I have a similar case where the new data comes once a month; then I have to load it, and during the loading processes I have to create new tables. At that moment I alter my view to consider the changes.
I used as base the information in this other question:
Create View Dynamically & synonyms
In there, it is proposed to do it 2 ways:
using synonyms.
Using dynamic SQL to create view (this is what helped me achieve my result).