Thread: Using calculated columns as arguments in same SELECT

Hello,

I am looking to simplify this query (uses PostGIS, but I have encountered this 
scenario with other chains of functions):

gtest=# SELECT X( SetSRID(   Transform(     GeomFromText(       'POINT(142512 1020225)', 26910     ), 4326   ), -1)
) as xcoord, Y( SetSRID(   Transform(     GeomFromText(       'POINT(142512 1020225)', 26910     ), 4326   ), -1)
) AS ycoord;

This SELECT works, but the rather long arguments to X(geom) and Y(geom) are 
the same.  Is it possible and feasible to pre-calculate the argument, such 
as:

gtest=# SELECT  SetSRID(   Transform(     GeomFromText(       'POINT(142512 1020225)', 26910     ), 4326   ), -1) AS
transformed_geom,X(transformed_geom) AS xcoord, Y(transformed_geom) AS ycoord
 

Where I don't really care about transformed_geom being returned, but it saves 
double-calling the inside functions  This doesn't work -- it complains that 
transformed_geom is not a column.

SELECT version(); gives:
PostgreSQL 8.0.6 on i386-portbld-freebsd5.4, compiled by GCC cc (GCC) 3.4.2 
[FreeBSD] 20040728

Thanks in advance!
Mike.

-- 
Michael Burke
Engineering Technologies Canada Ltd.
michael@engtech.ca  1 (902) 628-1705

On February 16, 2006 11:07 am, Michael Burke wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am looking to simplify this query (uses PostGIS, but I have encountered
> this scenario with other chains of functions):
>
-- snip --

Immediately after sending this one, I realized I could do it with a 
sub-select:

gtest=# SELECT X(SubSel.transformed_geom), Y(SubSel.transformed_geom) FROM ( SELECT SetSRID(   Transform(
GeomFromText(      'POINT(142512 1020225)', 26910     ), 4326   ), -1) AS transformed_geom) SubSel;
 

This works fine.
Mike.

-- 
Michael Burke
Engineering Technologies Canada Ltd.
michael@engtech.ca  1 (902) 628-1705