Copy From with "null" data - Mailing list pgsql-general

From James Moe
Subject Copy From with "null" data
Date
Msg-id auto-000000542866@sohnen-moe.com
Whole thread Raw
Responses Re: Copy From with "null" data  (Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
Re: Copy From with "null" data  (Dennis Gearon <gearond@cvc.net>)
List pgsql-general
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Hello,
  I am attempting to import data from a text file (tab-delimited) that has NULL fields
of the form "(NULL)". (The source dbms does not have DUMP command.) According to the
v7.3 docs (http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.3/static/sql-copy.html):

null string -- The string that represents a NULL value. The default is "\N"
(backslash-N). [...] On a copy in, any data item that matches this string will be
stored as a NULL value, [...].

  If I read that correctly, when the input parser encounters the NULL string (say,
"\N"), it gives the corresponding field a NULL value. That is not happening. Instead
this bizarre error message is produced in psql:

": can't parse "ne 1, pg_atoi: error in "1

  The quotes are exactly as shown. It looks like the first part of the line is being
overwritten.
  I have tried replacing the NULL string with \N, '', 'NULL'. And have tried using
"with null as '(NULL)'" along with other variants.


  A description of the table:

    Column     |         Type          |         Modifiers
- ---------------+-----------------------+---------------------------
 prod_no       | character(16)         | not null default 'XXX666'
 description   | character varying(80) | default ''
 price_each    | numeric(15,2)         | default 0.00
 special_price | numeric(15,2)         | default 0.00
 special_start | date                  | default '9999-12-31'
 special_end   | date                  | default '9999-12-31'
 units         | character(8)          | default 'Ea'
 weight        | numeric(6,2)          | default 0
 num_per_box   | integer               | default 1
 wt_per_box    | numeric(6,2)          | default 1
 is_archived   | smallint              | default 0
Indexes: vprd_dat_pkey primary key btree (prod_no)


  A typical line of input data (wrapped, no doubt):

'A111'    'Is Your Net Working? Audio'    34.95    (NULL)    (NULL)    (NULL)    'Ea'    (NULL)
    (NULL)    (NULL)    1




- --
jimoe at sohnen-moe dot com
pgp/gpg public key: http://www.keyserver.net/en/
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