Re: UPDATE using sub selects - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: UPDATE using sub selects
Date
Msg-id 29844.1174012598@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: UPDATE using sub selects  (Gaetano Mendola <mendola@bigfoot.com>)
Responses Re: UPDATE using sub selects  (NikhilS <nikkhils@gmail.com>)
List pgsql-hackers
Gaetano Mendola <mendola@bigfoot.com> writes:
> NikhilS wrote:
>> I have tried some update-subselect variations and they seem to work. For
>> example the case in the src/test/regress/sql/update.sql, which used to
>> fail till now, seems to work:
>> 
>> UPDATE update_test SET (a,b) = (select a,b FROM update_test where c =
>> 'foo')
>> WHERE a = 10;

> What's the expected result if the tuple from subselect is more than 1?

Error, per SQL99 section 7.14:
        1) If the cardinality of a <row subquery> is greater than 1 (one),           then an exception condition is
raised:cardinality violation.
 

> I expect no update at all in case of void result set, is this the case ?

No, you get nulls; it's a subquery not a join.  Per SQL99 7.1:
           c) If the <row value constructor> is a <row subquery>, then:
             i) Let R be the result of the <row subquery> and let D be the                degree of R.
            ii) If the cardinality of R is 0 (zero), then the result of the                <row value constructor> is D
nullvalues.
 
           iii) If the cardinality of R is 1 (one), then the result of the                <row value constructor> is
R.
        regards, tom lane


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