Re: index unique - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Alban Hertroys
Subject Re: index unique
Date
Msg-id 5D617659-7B20-468C-9C40-51BFDD7D5767@gmail.com
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: index unique  (Thomas Kellerer <shammat@gmx.net>)
Responses Re: index unique
List pgsql-general
> On 8 Jun 2021, at 22:50, Thomas Kellerer <shammat@gmx.net> wrote:
>
> Marc Millas schrieb am 03.06.2021 um 22:51:
>> on a table we need a primary key and to get a unique combinaison, we need 3 columns of that table:
>> 1 of type integer,
>> 1 of type text,
>> 1 of type geometry
>>
>
> How do you define the "uniqueness" of the geometry?

That is actually the big question here. Multiple “unique” geometries can specify the same geometry!

A geom as simple as a line from (0,0) - (1,0) can just as easily be specified as (1,0) - (0,0). That’s the simplest
case,and one could argue that the point of origin is different, but the next example would be a triangle starting at
thesame origin but traversed in different directions. It gets harder the more vertices a polygon has. 

I would argue that a geometry type is ill-suited as a primary key column candidate.

Now, of course, the OP could have a case where their geometries are guaranteed to be unique regardless, but they’d
bettermake sure before adding them to the PK. 

Alban Hertroys
--
If you can't see the forest for the trees,
cut the trees and you'll find there is no forest.




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