Thread: INSERT ... SELECT problem in Mysql

INSERT ... SELECT problem in Mysql

From
Evil Azrael
Date:
Hi!

I was trying to port a solution from postgresql to mysql for a mysql
user. im often using INSERT ... SELECTS with the same table in the
INSERT and SELECT statments at the same time. In Postgres i used to
use the destination only in a Subquery with IN, but in Mysql i had to
join the table, but it didn´t work and threw this error :  INSERT TABLE 'dummy' isn't allowed in FROM table list
with this page explaining the error :
http://www.mysql.de/doc/en/INSERT_SELECT.html

I have a problem with this part in the text
----
The target table of the INSERT statement cannot appear in the FROM clause of the SELECT part of the query because it's
forbiddenin standard SQL to SELECT from the same table into which you are inserting. (The problem is that the SELECT
possiblywould find records that were inserted earlier during the same run. When using subquery clauses, the situation
couldeasily be very confusing!)
 
----

Is that correct? PostgreSQL allows this which is very handy, but
breaks so some ANSI compliance. Can anyform that ANSI SQL doesn´t
allow this?


Thanx

Christoph Nelles
 

-- 
Mit freundlichen Grüssen
Evil Azrael                          mailto:evilazrael@evilazrael.de



Re: INSERT ... SELECT problem in Mysql

From
Tom Lane
Date:
Evil Azrael <evilazrael@evilazrael.de> writes:
> I have a problem with this part in the text
> ----
> The target table of the INSERT statement cannot appear in the FROM
> clause of the SELECT part of the query because it's forbidden in
> standard SQL to SELECT from the same table into which you are
> inserting.

This is just MySQL's self-serving reading of the spec.  What SQL92
actually says is (section 13.8)
        1) The following restrictions apply for Intermediate SQL:
           a) The leaf generally underlying table of T shall not be gen-             erally contained in the <query
expression>immediately             contained in the <insert columns and source> except as the             <qualifier>
ofa <column reference>.
 

SQL99 puts it a little differently:
        Conformance Rules
        1) Without Feature F781, "Self-referencing operations", no leaf           generally underlying table of T shall
begenerally contained in           the <query expression> immediately contained in the <insert           columns and
source>except as the <table or query name> or           <correlation name> of a column reference.
 

In other words, the behavior is perfectly standard, it's just not
required for minimal SQL implementations to support it.

What the standard behavior is is defined by this rule, earlier in the
same section:
        3) The <query expression> is effectively evaluated before inserting           any rows into B.

that is, the SELECT doesn't see any rows that are being inserted into
the target table during the same command.  There would not be any need
for that rule if selecting from the same table you're inserting into
were flat-out forbidden, as the MySQL docs claim.
        regards, tom lane


Re: INSERT ... SELECT problem in Mysql

From
Evil Azrael
Date:
Thanx for the fast answer. I already thought something about like
this and considered sending the question to the advocacy list instead
of the SQL list. I really like their docs since iŽve read about their
reasons against Foreign Keys *g*

One more point in favor for PostgreSQL :)

Christoph Nelles


Am Freitag, 4. Juli 2003 um 23:45 schrieben Sie:

TL> Evil Azrael <evilazrael@evilazrael.de> writes:
>> I have a problem with this part in the text
>> ----
>> The target table of the INSERT statement cannot appear in the FROM
>> clause of the SELECT part of the query because it's forbidden in
>> standard SQL to SELECT from the same table into which you are
>> inserting.

TL> This is just MySQL's self-serving reading of the spec.  What SQL92
TL> actually says is (section 13.8)

TL>          1) The following restrictions apply for Intermediate SQL:

TL>             a) The leaf generally underlying table of T shall not be gen-
TL>               erally contained in the <query expression> immediately
TL>               contained in the <insert columns and source> except as the
TL>               <qualifier> of a <column reference>.

TL> SQL99 puts it a little differently:

TL>          Conformance Rules

TL>          1) Without Feature F781, "Self-referencing operations", no leaf
TL>             generally underlying table of T shall be generally contained in
TL>             the <query expression> immediately contained in the <insert
TL>             columns and source> except as the <table or query name> or
TL>             <correlation name> of a column reference.

TL> In other words, the behavior is perfectly standard, it's just not
TL> required for minimal SQL implementations to support it.

TL> What the standard behavior is is defined by this rule, earlier in the
TL> same section:

TL>          3) The <query expression> is effectively evaluated before inserting
TL>             any rows into B.

TL> that is, the SELECT doesn't see any rows that are being inserted into
TL> the target table during the same command.  There would not be any need
TL> for that rule if selecting from the same table you're inserting into
TL> were flat-out forbidden, as the MySQL docs claim.

TL>                         regards, tom lane



-- 
Mit freundlichen Grüssen
Evil Azrael                            mailto:evilazrael@evilazrael.de



Re: INSERT ... SELECT problem in Mysql

From
Ian Barwick
Date:
On Saturday 05 July 2003 00:06, Evil Azrael wrote:
> Thanx for the fast answer. I already thought something about like
> this and considered sending the question to the advocacy list instead
> of the SQL list. I really like their docs since iŽve read about their
> reasons against Foreign Keys *g*
>
> One more point in favor for PostgreSQL :)

I've been here before, this thread:

http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-sql/2003-04/msg00159.php

might be of interest.


Ian Barwick
barwick@gmx.net