Re: BUG #1904: using distinct with null col causes error - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: BUG #1904: using distinct with null col causes error
Date
Msg-id 29251.1127403317@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to BUG #1904: using distinct with null col causes error  ("Brian Cox" <bcox@timestock.com>)
List pgsql-bugs
"Brian Cox" <bcox@timestock.com> writes:
> any_db=> create view view1 as select null as col1 from any_table;
> CREATE VIEW

You seem to have ignored the warning telling you this probably wasn't
a good idea:

regression=# create view view1 as select null as col1;
WARNING:  column "col1" has type "unknown"
DETAIL:  Proceeding with relation creation anyway.
CREATE VIEW
regression=#

According to the letter of the SQL standard, the above is illegal;
you're really supposed to CAST the null to some specific datatype.
If we were to change anything in response to this complaint, it'd
probably be to promote the WARNING to an ERROR.

            regards, tom lane

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