PL/pgSQL Looping through multiple schema, tables and rows - postgresql

Question

I have a database with multiple identical schemas. There is a number of tables all named 'tran_...' in each schema. I want to loop through all 'tran_' tables in all schemas and pull out records that fall within a specific date range. This is the code I have so far:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public."configChanges"(starttime timestamp, endtime timestamp)
RETURNS SETOF character varying AS
$BODY$DECLARE
tbl_row RECORD;
tbl_name VARCHAR(50);
tran_row RECORD;
out_record VARCHAR(200);
BEGIN
FOR tbl_row IN
SELECT * FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname LIKE 'ivr%' AND tablename LIKE 'tran_%'
LOOP
tbl_name := tbl_row.schemaname || '.' || tbl_row.tablename;
FOR tran_row IN
SELECT * FROM tbl_name
WHERE ch_edit_date >= starttime AND ch_edit_date <= endtime
LOOP
out_record := tbl_name || ' ' || tran_row.ch_field_name;
RETURN NEXT out_record;
END LOOP;
END LOOP;
RETURN;
END;
$BODY$
LANGUAGE plpgsql;
When I attempt to run this, I get:
ERROR: relation "tbl_name" does not exist
LINE 1: SELECT * FROM tbl_name WHERE ch_edit_date >= starttime AND c...

Answer 1

#Pavel already provided a fix for your basic error.
However, since your tbl_name is actually schema-qualified (two separate identifiers in : schema.table), it cannot be escaped as a whole with %I in format(). You have to escape each identifier individually.
Aside from that, I suggest a different approach. The outer loop is necessary, but the inner loop can be replaced with a simpler and more efficient set-based approach:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.config_changes(_start timestamp, _end timestamp)
RETURNS SETOF text AS
$func$
DECLARE
_tbl text;
BEGIN
FOR _tbl IN
SELECT quote_ident(schemaname) || '.' || quote_ident(tablename)
FROM pg_tables
WHERE schemaname LIKE 'ivr%'
AND tablename LIKE 'tran_%'
LOOP
RETURN QUERY EXECUTE format (
$$
SELECT %1$L || ' ' || ch_field_name
FROM %1$s
WHERE ch_edit_date BETWEEN $1 AND $2
$$, _tbl
)
USING _start, _end;
END LOOP;
RETURN;
END
$func$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
You have to use dynamic SQL to parametrize identifiers (or code), like #Pavel already told you. With RETURN QUERY EXECUTE you can return the result of a dynamic query directly. Examples:
Return SETOF rows from PostgreSQL function
Refactor a PL/pgSQL function to return the output of various SELECT queries
Remember that identifiers have to be treated as unsafe user input in dynamic SQL and must always be sanitized to avoid syntax errors and SQL injection:
Table name as a PostgreSQL function parameter
Note how I escape table and schema separately:
quote_ident(schemaname) || '.' || quote_ident(tablename)
Consequently I just use %s to insert the already escaped table name in the later query. And %L to escape it a string literal for output.
I like to prepend parameter and variable names with _ to avoid naming conflicts with column names. No other special meaning.
There is a slight difference compared to your original function. This one returns an escaped identifier (double-quoted only where necessary) as table name, e.g.:
"WeIRD name"
instead of
WeIRD name
Much simpler yet
If possible, use inheritance to obviate the need for above function altogether. Complete example:
Select (retrieve) all records from multiple schemas using Postgres

Answer 2

You cannot use a plpgsql variable as SQL table name or SQL column name. In this case you have to use dynamic SQL:
FOR tran_row IN
EXECUTE format('SELECT * FROM %I
WHERE ch_edit_date >= starttime AND ch_edit_date <= endtime', tbl_name)
LOOP
out_record := tbl_name || ' ' || tran_row.ch_field_name;
RETURN NEXT out_record;
END LOOP;