serial data type

[Tom Allison]

Can I use the serial data type in lieu of an 'auto_number' field?

I asked something like this some months ago and it seems that
auto_number fields were addressed through a combination of triggers and
procedures to ensure that there were do duplicate KEYS generated.

Is it realistic to use the serial data type as a KEY?

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster

[Doug McNaught]

Re: serial data type

Tom Allison <tallison@tacoc at.net> writes:
[color=blue]
> Can I use the serial data type in lieu of an 'auto_number' field?[/color]

What are the exact semantics of an "auto_numbe r" field?
[color=blue]
> I asked something like this some months ago and it seems that
> auto_number fields were addressed through a combination of triggers
> and procedures to ensure that there were do duplicate KEYS generated.
>
> Is it realistic to use the serial data type as a KEY?[/color]

Lots and lots of people do. If you're just looking for a unique key
column for a single table, it works fine.

-Doug
--
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.
--T. J. Jackson, 1863

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster

[Tom Allison]

Re: serial data type



Doug McNaught wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
>>Is it realistic to use the serial data type as a KEY?[/color]
>
>
> Lots and lots of people do. If you're just looking for a unique key
> column for a single table, it works fine.
>
> -Doug[/color]

This is essentially what I'm looking for.

Any idea how to set up a timestamp=now on every insert/update ?

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 1: subscribe and unsubscribe commands go to majordomo@postg resql.org

[Doug McNaught]

Re: serial data type

Tom Allison <tallison@tacoc at.net> writes:
[color=blue]
> Doug McNaught wrote:[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>Is it realistic to use the serial data type as a KEY?[/color]
>> Lots and lots of people do. If you're just looking for a unique key
>> column for a single table, it works fine.
>> -Doug[/color]
>
> This is essentially what I'm looking for.
>
> Any idea how to set up a timestamp=now on every insert/update ?[/color]

Use a trigger.

-Doug
--
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.
--T. J. Jackson, 1863

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 9: the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your
joining column's datatypes do not match

[Joseph Healy]

Re: serial data type

On Sat, Sep 25, 2004 at 07:20:23PM -0400, Tom Allison wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Any idea how to set up a timestamp=now on every insert/update ?[/color]

when you create your table, use:

create table mytable (
id serial primary key,
updated timestamp default(now()),
mydata int4
);

Joe


---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 5: Have you checked our extensive FAQ?

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faqs/FAQ.html

[Doug McNaught]

Re: serial data type

Joseph Healy <joe_healy@dodo .com.au> writes:
[color=blue]
> On Sat, Sep 25, 2004 at 07:20:23PM -0400, Tom Allison wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> Any idea how to set up a timestamp=now on every insert/update ?[/color]
>
> when you create your table, use:
>
> create table mytable (
> id serial primary key,
> updated timestamp default(now()),
> mydata int4
> );[/color]

That won't change the timestamp on UPDATE queries; you need a trigger
for that.

-Doug
--
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.
--T. J. Jackson, 1863

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster

[Tom Allison]

Re: serial data type



Doug McNaught wrote:[color=blue]
> Joseph Healy <joe_healy@dodo .com.au> writes:
>
>[color=green]
>>On Sat, Sep 25, 2004 at 07:20:23PM -0400, Tom Allison wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>Any idea how to set up a timestamp=now on every insert/update ?[/color]
>>
>>when you create your table, use:
>>
>>create table mytable (
>> id serial primary key,
>> updated timestamp default(now()),
>> mydata int4
>>);[/color]
>
>
> That won't change the timestamp on UPDATE queries; you need a trigger
> for that.[/color]

Thanks!
Understood.

I'll get to that tomorrow. Right now I'm working on data types and
tables....

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate
subscribe-nomail command to majordomo@postg resql.org so that your
message can get through to the mailing list cleanly