Feature Request: additional extension to UPDATE - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Richard Broersma
Subject Feature Request: additional extension to UPDATE
Date
Msg-id 396486430808272258l824b796hbdb1d235846796c9@mail.gmail.com
Whole thread Raw
Responses Re: Feature Request: additional extension to UPDATE
List pgsql-general
Regarding:  row-wise update.

In a previous thread:
http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-sql/2008-08/msg00122.php

it was mentioned that the "UPDATE ... SET  ... FROM ... WHERE" syntax
is an extension. (an extension employed by many other db flavors.)
This creates a problems since each db flavor is left to their own
devices in how to implement it.

However the ANSI SQL syntax can be a real hassle when you have to a
lot of fields to update using (complicated) correlated sub-queries:

UPDATE Foo
   SET a = ( SELECT newA  FROM Bar WHERE foo.id = Bar.id ),
          b = ( SELECT newB  FROM Bar WHERE foo.id = Bar.id ),
          c = ( SELECT newC  FROM Bar WHERE foo.id = Bar.id ),
          ...
          n = ( SELECT newN FROM Bar WHERE foo.id = Bar.id )
WHERE
    Foo.id < 100;


Maybe a row-wise update could simplify this process and at the same
time produce results in with those defined by the SQL Standard.

UPDATE Foo
   SET ( a, b, c, ..., n ) = ( SELECT newA, newB, newC, ..., newN
                                        FROM Bar WHERE foo.id = Bar.id )
WHERE
    Foo.id < 100;


Any thoughts on this?

--
Regards,
Richard Broersma Jr.

Visit the Los Angeles PostgreSQL Users Group (LAPUG)
http://pugs.postgresql.org/lapug

pgsql-general by date:

Previous
From: "Matthew Dennis"
Date:
Subject: indexes on functions and create or replace function
Next
From: Craig Ringer
Date:
Subject: Re: Do I have a corrupted database?