Re: ALTER COLUMN/logical column position - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: ALTER COLUMN/logical column position
Date
Msg-id 4272.1069342019@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: ALTER COLUMN/logical column position  (Hannu Krosing <hannu@tm.ee>)
Responses Re: ALTER COLUMN/logical column position  (Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>)
List pgsql-hackers
Hannu Krosing <hannu@tm.ee> writes:
> You are just shifting the interface problems to a place needing way more
> changes in the backend. There will be some problems either way.

Exactly.  I'm considerably more worried about breaking out-of-the-way
places in the backend than I am about what order someone's admin tool
presents the columns in.

> Btw, most of these concerns (and more) were already iterated when DROP
> column was done causing gaps in attnum. There were a lot of doomsday
> profecies, but in the end it went quite smoothly.

That is a good comparison point.  I'm inclined to think that we should
do it in a way that minimizes backend changes.  The way to do that is
to keep attnum with its current definition (physical position) and add
a new column for the logical position, which only a small number of
places will need to care about.
        regards, tom lane


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