Re: Unexpected ADO properties - Mailing list pgsql-odbc

Hye Jeff,

You are right when you say that : PostgreSQL has no notion of "autoincrement"

However, since :
- we are talking of pgsql-odbc (and not PostgreSQL);
- ODBC is an abstract layer that is supposed to uniformize backends access and isolate its users from the backends
"technicaldetails"; 
- the sequenced serial fields mechanism is a "technical detail" that offers an "autoincrement behavior";

Don't you think, therefore, that even though PostgreSQL has no notion of "autoincrement", it is the pgsql-odbc's
responsabilityto "hide" and manage this particular technical detail ? 

Technically speaking, don't you think that pgsql-odbc could in fact query PostgreSQL's catalog to check whether a
serialfield has its DEFAULT set with a 'nextval' and return, in such case, to ODBC user that it IS an autoincrement
field? 

Best regards



--- "Jeff Eckermann" <jeff_eckermann@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: "Jeff Eckermann" <jeff_eckermann@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 13:54:03 +0930
To: pgsql-odbc@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [ODBC] Unexpected ADO properties

"Bernard Henry Voynet" <bhv@quebecemail.com> wrote in message
news:20050820115339.D2B57834@dm21.mta.everyone.net...
> Hello
> I  am  working  on  a project that access databases through ADO
> over ODBC and must now include PostgreSQL.
>
> The  code  of  this  project  needs  to  know  about the fields
> caracteristics like whether or not it is:
> - a primary key
> - an autoincrement key
> - nullabble
> - updatable
> - etc..
>
> For   this   I   use   the  ADO  properties  that  give  theses
> informations.
>
> For a Jet database I get (for example):
> serialkey
>     Type = adInteger
>     DefinedSize = 4
>     Precision = 10
>     NumericScale = 255
>     Status = adRecOK
>     Attributes = adFldFixed
>     Properties (9)
>          BASECATALOGNAME (adVarWChar) = (Null)
>          BASECOLUMNNAME (adVarWChar) = serialkey
>          BASESCHEMANAME (adVarWChar) = (Null)
>          BASETABLENAME (adVarWChar) = genericfields
>          CALCULATIONINFO (adVarBinary) = (Null)
>          ISAUTOINCREMENT (adBoolean) = True
>          KEYCOLUMN (adBoolean) = True
>          OPTIMIZE (adBoolean) = False
>          RELATIONCONDITIONS (adVarBinary) = (Null)
>
> However, with  PostgreSQL  8.0.3  (psqlodc 08.00.0102), I don't get what
> is expected.
>
> When I declare le serialkey field as as SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, instead of the
> expected result, I get:
> serialkey
>     Type = adInteger
>     DefinedSize = 4
>     Precision = 10
>     NumericScale = 255
>     Status = adRecOK
>     Attributes = adFldUnknownUpdatable, adFldFixed, adFldIsNullable,
> adFldMayBeNull
>     Properties (9)
>          BASECATALOGNAME (adVarWChar) = (Null)
>          BASECOLUMNNAME (adVarWChar) = serialkey
>          BASESCHEMANAME (adVarWChar) = (Null)
>          BASETABLENAME (adVarWChar) = genericfields
>          CALCULATIONINFO (adVarBinary) = (Null)
>          ISAUTOINCREMENT (adBoolean) = False
>          KEYCOLUMN (adBoolean) = True
>          OPTIMIZE (adBoolean) = False
>          RELATIONCONDITIONS (adVarBinary) = (Null)
>
> Where both:
> - Attributes
> - ISAUTOINCREMENT
> Are not correct since serialkey is a non nullable serial key

PostgreSQL has no notion of "autoincrement".  The "serial" type is an
equivalent implementation, but is not actually a type in itself; it is an
integer type with a default value drawn from a sequence.

The values reported in the "attributes" are certainly wrong; this is
definitely a bug somewhere, but where, I don't know enough to say.  Perhaps
someone more knowledgeable can help.

>
> Would you have any idea on this problem ?
> And any help to get the right values ?
>
> Best regards
>
>
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