Postgres Exception - Internal Statement is right but Query Fails - postgresql

Question

I'm inserting a record into my DB using the following:
PreparedStatement stmt = null;
Connection conn = null;
HashMap<String, Object> hoursMap = new HashMap<String, Object>();
hoursMap.put("PLACE_ID", hours.getPlaceID());
hoursMap.put("DAY", hours.getDayID());
hoursMap.put("TIME_OPEN", hours.getTimeOpen());
hoursMap.put("TIME_CLOSE", hours.getTimeClose());
String insertStr = StatementCreator.insertQueryGenerator("HOURS",
hoursMap);
try {
conn = ConnectionManager.getConnection();
stmt = StatementCreator.createStatement(conn, insertStr, hoursMap,
false);
returnVal = stmt.execute();
ConnectionManager.closeStatement(stmt);
System.out.println("Created");
} catch (SQLException e) {
System.out.println("ERROR");
e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
ConnectionManager.closeConnection(conn);
}
return returnVal;
}
However, when running this I get the following error:
org.postgresql.util.PSQLException: ERROR: column "TIME_OPEN" is of
type time with time zone but expression is of type character varying
Hint: You will need to rewrite or cast the expression. Position: 71
What I can't figure out is why? The reason I say that is if I go into debug mode and look at the internal prepared statement I see the following:
INSERT INTO "HOURS" ("TIME_OPEN","DAY","TIME_CLOSE","PLACE_ID")VALUES('11:30:00-0400',6,'23:59:59-0400',541)
I copy/paste this into my SQL Editor and it runs and inserts the record.
Is there something I'm missing?

Answer 1

There is a subtle but decisive difference between a string literal and a variable of type varchar.
A string literal like '11:30:00-0400' has no type assigned to it. But your function obviously returns varchar, which is the same as '11:30:00-0400'::varchar.
Like the error message informs, you need to add an explicit cast in this case:
'11:30:00-0400'::varchar::timetz
Or, in your case probably:
hours.getTimeOpen())::timetz
(Not sure about the kind of syntax you use.)
Or have your function return the proper type to begin with.
Don't use timetz
As an aside, I would strongly advice against using time with timezone (timetz for short) at all. It's a logically broken type. Postgres only provides it for standard compatibility but advices against its use. I quote the manual here:
To address these difficulties, we recommend using date/time types that
contain both date and time when using time zones. We do not recommend
using the type time with time zone (though it is supported by
PostgreSQL for legacy applications and for compliance with the SQL standard)
And here:
The type time with time zone is defined by the SQL standard, but the
definition exhibits properties which lead to questionable usefulness.
In most cases, a combination of date, time, timestamp without time zone, and timestamp with time zone should provide a complete range of
date/time functionality required by any application.

Answer 2

If you only store the time+timezone, without the date part, you should declare the data type at PostgreSQL's side as timetz (or time with time zone) not timestamptz (or timestamp with time zone).