Re: Using CTID system column as a "temporary" primary key - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Laurenz Albe
Subject Re: Using CTID system column as a "temporary" primary key
Date
Msg-id be2240923b8017b0c03f980772cdd6ef0678200a.camel@cybertec.at
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Using CTID system column as a "temporary" primary key  (Kirk Wolak <wolakk@gmail.com>)
Responses Re: Using CTID system column as a "temporary" primary key  (Sebastien Flaesch <sebastien.flaesch@4js.com>)
List pgsql-general
On Tue, 2023-03-28 at 14:24 -0400, Kirk Wolak wrote:
>
> I cringe at the thought of using CTID.  And while it's probably "safe enough"
> inside a single transaction.  I doubt that there is much "testing" of this concept. 

It is safe to assume that the CTID is stable within a single transaction
only if you use REPEATABLE READ or better transaction isolation level.

With READ COMMITTED, you see updated rows (and consequently changed CTID)
within a single transaction.  And if you use SELECT ... FOR UPDATE, you
could even see a changed CTID within a single statement.

So don't use CTID to identify rows unless you use REPEATABLE READ or better.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe



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