Thread: BUG #4526: Problem with sorting order by clause and null values(space) in the beginning og a string

The following bug has been logged online:

Bug reference:      4526
Logged by:          stella
Email address:      stellajn@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 8.3.4
Operating system:   linux
Description:        Problem with sorting order by clause and null
values(space)  in the beginning og a string
Details:

Hi,

we experience a problem after upgrating to 8.3.4 from 8.2.5 as we use 'ORDER
BY' clause. The old version sorted char starting with null characters first
for example '   anything' would be before 'anything'. Saw there are some new
options NULLS FIRST/LAST, but they are not working in that case. Is there a
setting of the server so we can default to list first strings that start
with empty characters or a option that we should add to the query so the
sorting to be as we need to be ?

Thanks in addvance,
stella

stella escribió:

> we experience a problem after upgrating to 8.3.4 from 8.2.5 as we use 'ORDER
> BY' clause. The old version sorted char starting with null characters first
> for example '   anything' would be before 'anything'. Saw there are some new
> options NULLS FIRST/LAST, but they are not working in that case. Is there a
> setting of the server so we can default to list first strings that start
> with empty characters or a option that we should add to the query so the
> sorting to be as we need to be ?

Those are not nulls; those are whitespace.  I think what happened is
that your new installation chose a different locale from the old one.
Have a look at pg_controldata output for both; check what they say for
lc_collate.

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Alvaro Herrera                                http://www.CommandPrompt.com/
The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.