Re: Bug#57466: select ... except fails when there are nulls in second clause - Mailing list pgsql-sql
From | Oliver Elphick |
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Subject | Re: Bug#57466: select ... except fails when there are nulls in second clause |
Date | |
Msg-id | 200002090908.JAA06657@linda.lfix.co.uk Whole thread Raw |
Responses |
Re: [SQL] Re: Bug#57466: select ... except fails when there are nulls in second clause
(Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
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List | pgsql-sql |
I think that this is not a bug at all, but a necessary consequence of how nulls are treated, but I would be grateful for confirmation of this. This is equivalent to saying "give me all items in first where value is not found in second". The point about a null is that you don't know what value it is, so it might be a value that you want. This is more likely to give unexpected results when the condition is negative, as here; nevertheless, I think the results of this query are correct. Kevin Dalley wrote: >Package: postgresql >Version: 6.5.3-10 >Severity: important > >I have included a dump of the databasebelow. > >The following statement returns 0 rows when there is a null in table >second: > >pgbug=> select value fromfirst except select value from second; >value >----- >(0 rows) > >But when null values are excluded, the new select statementreturns a >non-zero value: > >pgbug=> select value from first except select value from second where value >notnull;>value >----- > 2 >(1 row) > > >This bug might be important, since it returns incorrect values. Feel >free todowngrade the bug if you think it appropriate. This problem >should go into the regression test. > >Here is the outputfrom pg_dump: > >CREATE TABLE "first" ( > "value" int4); >CREATE TABLE "second" ( > "value" int4); >COPY "first"FROM stdin; >1 >2 >\. >COPY "second" FROM stdin; >1 >\N >3 >\. > > >-- System Information >Debian Release: potato>Architecture: i386 >Kernel: Linux laminaria 2.2.14 #1 Sat Jan 22 11:25:24 PST 2000 i686 > >Versions of packages postgresqldepends on: >ii debianutils 1.13.2 Miscellaneous utilities specifi >c t >ii libc6 2.1.2-12 GNU C Library: Shared libraries > an >ii libncurses5 5.0-5 Shared libraries for terminal h >and >ii libpgsql2 6.5.3-10 Shared library libpq.so.2 for P >ost >ii libreadline4 4.1-0beta3db3 GNU readline and history librar >ies >ii postgresql-client 6.5.3-10 Front-end programs for PostgreS >QL >ii procps 1:2.0.6-5 The /proc filesystem utilities >. > >-- Configuration Files: >/etc/postgresql/postmaster.init changed: >POSTGRES_HOME=`grep '^postgres:'/etc/passwd | awk -F: '{print $6}'` >if [ -z "$POSTGRES_HOME" ] >then > POSTGRES_HOME=/var/postgres >fi >POSTGRES_DATA=/var/postgres/data>PGFSYNC=no >PGDATESTYLE=US >PGALLOWTCPIP=yes > > -- Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk Isle of Wight http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver PGP key from public servers; key ID32B8FAA1 ======================================== "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalms 19:14