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Remove FAQ about database terms.

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Bruce Momjian
2005-02-01 02:31:59 +00:00
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@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
alink="#0000ff">
<H1>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL</H1>
<P>Last updated: Mon Jan 31 20:41:21 EST 2005</P>
<P>Last updated: Mon Jan 31 21:31:39 EST 2005</P>
<P>Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (<A href=
"mailto:pgman@candle.pha.pa.us">pgman@candle.pha.pa.us</A>)
@ -101,24 +101,22 @@
my sequence/SERIAL column?<BR>
<A href="#4.12">4.12</A>) What is an <SMALL>OID</SMALL>? What is a
<SMALL>TID</SMALL>?<BR>
<A href="#4.13">4.13</A>) What is the meaning of some of the terms
used in PostgreSQL?<BR>
<A href="#4.14">4.14</A>) Why do I get the error <I>"ERROR: Memory
<A href="#4.12">4.13</A>) Why do I get the error <I>"ERROR: Memory
exhausted in AllocSetAlloc()"</I>?<BR>
<A href="#4.15">4.15</A>) How do I tell what PostgreSQL version I
<A href="#4.14">4.14</A>) How do I tell what PostgreSQL version I
am running?<BR>
<A href="#4.16">4.16</A>) Why does my large-object operations get
<A href="#4.15">4.15</A>) Why does my large-object operations get
<I>"invalid large obj descriptor"</I>?<BR>
<A href="#4.17">4.17</A>) How do I create a column that will
<A href="#4.16">4.16</A>) How do I create a column that will
default to the current time?<BR>
<A href="#4.18">4.18</A>) How do I perform an outer join?<BR>
<A href="#4.19">4.19</A>) How do I perform queries using multiple
<A href="#4.17">4.17</A>) How do I perform an outer join?<BR>
<A href="#4.18">4.18</A>) How do I perform queries using multiple
databases?<BR>
<A href="#4.20">4.20</A>) How do I return multiple rows or columns
<A href="#4.19">4.19</A>) How do I return multiple rows or columns
from a function?<BR>
<A href="#4.21">4.21</A>) Why can't I reliably create/drop
<A href="#4.20">4.20</A>) Why can't I reliably create/drop
temporary tables in PL/PgSQL functions?<BR>
<A href="#4.22">4.22</A>) What encryption options are available?<BR>
<A href="#4.21">4.21</A>) What encryption options are available?<BR>
<H2 align="center">Extending PostgreSQL</H2>
@ -531,7 +529,7 @@
option, many <I>assert()</I>s monitor the progress of the backend
and halt the program when something unexpected occurs.</P>
The <I>postmaster</I> has a <I>-d</I> option that allows even more
<P>The <I>postmaster</I> has a <I>-d</I> option that allows even more
detailed information to be reported. The <I>-d</I> option takes a
number that specifies the debug level. Be warned that high debug
level values generate large log files.</P>
@ -567,7 +565,7 @@
<H4><A name="3.5">3.5</A>) Why do I get <I>"Sorry, too many
clients"</I> when trying to connect?</H4>
You have reached the default limit is 100 database sessions. You
<P>You have reached the default limit is 100 database sessions. You
need to increase the <I>postmaster</I>'s limit on how many
concurrent backend processes it can start by changing the
<I>max_connections</I> value in <I>postgresql.conf</I> and
@ -672,19 +670,25 @@
table, and a database?</H4>
<P>These are the limits:</P>
<PRE>
Maximum size for a database? unlimited (32 TB databases exist)
Maximum size for a table? 32 TB
Maximum size for a row? 1.6TB
Maximum size for a field? 1 GB
Maximum number of rows in a table? unlimited
Maximum number of columns in a table? 250-1600 depending on column types
Maximum number of indexes on a table? unlimited
</PRE>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR><TD>Maximum size for a database?</TD><TD>unlimited (32 TB databases
exist)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum size for a table?</TD><TD>32 TB</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum size for a row?</TD><TD>1.6TB</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum size for a field?</TD><TD>1 GB</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum number of rows in a table?</TD><TD>unlimited</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum number of columns in a table?</TD><TD>250-1600 depending
on column types</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Maximum number of indexes on a
table?</TD><TD>unlimited</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<BR>
Of course, these are not actually unlimited, but limited to
<P>Of course, these are not actually unlimited, but limited to
available disk space and memory/swap space. Performance may suffer
when these values get unusually large.
when these values get unusually large.</P>
<P>The maximum table size of 32 TB does not require large file
support from the operating system. Large tables are stored as
@ -781,10 +785,10 @@
<LI>The search string can not start with a character class,
e.g. [a-e].</LI>
<LI>Case-insensitive searches such as <SMALL>ILIKE</SMALL> and
<I>~*</I> do not utilize indexes. Instead, use functional
indexes, which are described in section <a href="#4.10">4.10</a>.</LI>
<I>~*</I> do not utilize indexes. Instead, use expression
indexes, which are described in section <a href="#4.8">4.8</a>.</LI>
<LI>The default <I>C</I> locale must be used during
<i>initdb</i> because it is not possible to know the next-greater
<i>initdb</i> because it is not possible to know the next-greatest
character in a non-C locale. You can create a special
<CODE>text_pattern_ops</CODE> index for such cases that work only
for <SMALL>LIKE</SMALL> indexing.
@ -792,7 +796,7 @@
</UL>
<P>In pre-8.0 releases, indexes often can not be used unless the data
types exactly match the index's column types. This is particularly
types exactly match the index's column types. This was particularly
true of int2, int8, and numeric column indexes.</P>
<H4><A name="4.7">4.7</A>) How do I see how the query optimizer is
@ -818,7 +822,7 @@
</PRE>
This will not use an standard index. However, if you create a
functional index, it will be used:
expresssion index, it will be used:
<PRE>
CREATE INDEX tabindex ON tab (lower(col));
</PRE>
@ -831,16 +835,20 @@
<H4><A name="4.10">4.10</A>) What is the difference between the
various character types?</H4>
<PRE>
Type Internal Name Notes
--------------------------------------------------
VARCHAR(n) varchar size specifies maximum length, no padding
CHAR(n) bpchar blank padded to the specified fixed length
TEXT text no specific upper limit on length
BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
"char" char one character
</PRE>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR><TH>Type</TH><TH>Internal Name</TH><TH>Notes</TH></TR>
<TR><TD>VARCHAR(n)</TD><TD>varchar</TD><TD>size specifies maximum
length, no padding</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>CHAR(n)</TD><TD>bpchar</TD><TD>blank padded to the specified
fixed length</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>TEXT</TD><TD>text</TD><TD>no specific upper limit on
length</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>BYTEA</TD><TD>bytea</TD><TD>variable-length byte array
(null-byte safe)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>"char"</TD><TD>char</TD><TD>one character</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<P>You will see the internal name when examining system catalogs
and in some error messages.</P>
@ -884,10 +892,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
</PRE>
See the <I>create_sequence</I> manual page for more information
about sequences. You can also use each row's <I>OID</I> field as a
unique value. However, if you need to dump and reload the database,
you need to use <I>pg_dump</I>'s <I>-o</I> option or <SMALL>COPY
WITH OIDS</SMALL> option to preserve the <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s.
about sequences.
<H4><A name="4.11.2">4.11.2</A>) How do I get the value of a
<SMALL>SERIAL</SMALL> insert?</H4>
@ -918,19 +923,11 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
new_id = execute("SELECT currval('person_id_seq')");
</PRE>
<P>Finally, you could use the <A href="#4.12"><SMALL>OID</SMALL></A>
returned from the <SMALL>INSERT</SMALL> statement to look up the
default value, though this is probably the least portable approach,
and the oid value will wrap around when it reaches 4 billion.
In Perl, using DBI with the DBD::Pg module, the oid value is made
available via <I>$sth-&gt;{pg_oid_status}</I> after
<I>$sth-&gt;execute()</I>.</P>
<H4><A name="4.11.3">4.11.3</A>) Doesn't <I>currval()</I>
lead to a race condition with other users?</H4>
<P>No. <I>currval()</I> returns the current value assigned by your
backend, not by all users.</P>
session, not by all sessions.</P>
<H4><A name="4.11.4">4.11.4</A>) Why aren't my sequence numbers
reused on transaction abort? Why are there gaps in the numbering of
@ -964,36 +961,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
are modified or reloaded. They are used by index entries to point
to physical rows.</P>
<H4><A name="4.13">4.13</A>) What is the meaning of some of the
terms used in PostgreSQL?</H4>
<P>Some of the source code and older documentation use terms that
have more common usage. Here are some:</P>
<UL>
<LI>table, relation, class</LI>
<LI>row, record, tuple</LI>
<LI>column, field, attribute</LI>
<LI>retrieve, select</LI>
<LI>replace, update</LI>
<LI>append, insert</LI>
<LI><SMALL>OID</SMALL>, serial value</LI>
<LI>portal, cursor</LI>
<LI>range variable, table name, table alias</LI>
</UL>
<P>A list of general database terms can be found at: <A href=
"http://hea-www.harvard.edu/MST/simul/software/docs/pkgs/pgsql/glossary/glossary.html">http://hea-www.harvard.edu/MST/simul/software/docs/pkgs/pgsql/glossary/glossary.html</A></P>
<H4><A name="4.14">4.14</A>) Why do I get the error <I>"ERROR:
<H4><A name="4.13">4.13</A>) Why do I get the error <I>"ERROR:
Memory exhausted in AllocSetAlloc()"</I>?</H4>
<P>You probably have run out of virtual memory on your system,
@ -1012,12 +980,12 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
backend is returning too much data, try it before starting the
client.
<H4><A name="4.15">4.15</A>) How do I tell what PostgreSQL version
<H4><A name="4.14">4.14</A>) How do I tell what PostgreSQL version
I am running?</H4>
<P>From <I>psql</I>, type <CODE>SELECT version();</CODE></P>
<H4><A name="4.16">4.16</A>) Why does my large-object operations
<H4><A name="4.15">4.15</A>) Why does my large-object operations
get <I>"invalid large obj descriptor"</I>?</H4>
<P>You need to put <CODE>BEGIN WORK</CODE> and <CODE>COMMIT</CODE>
@ -1033,7 +1001,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
<P>If you are using a client interface like <SMALL>ODBC</SMALL> you
may need to set <CODE>auto-commit off.</CODE></P>
<H4><A name="4.17">4.17</A>) How do I create a column that will
<H4><A name="4.16">4.16</A>) How do I create a column that will
default to the current time?</H4>
<P>Use <I>CURRENT_TIMESTAMP</I>:</P>
@ -1041,7 +1009,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
CREATE TABLE test (x int, modtime timestamp DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP );
</PRE>
<H4><A name="4.18">4.18</A>) How do I perform an outer join?</H4>
<H4><A name="4.17">4.17</A>) How do I perform an outer join?</H4>
<P>PostgreSQL supports outer joins using the SQL standard syntax.
Here are two examples:</P>
@ -1081,7 +1049,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
ORDER BY col1
</PRE>
<H4><A name="4.19">4.19</A>) How do I perform queries using
<H4><A name="4.18">4.18</A>) How do I perform queries using
multiple databases?</H4>
<P>There is no way to query a database other than the current one.
@ -1093,7 +1061,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
connections to different databases and merge the results on the
client side.</P>
<H4><A name="4.20">4.20</A>) How do I return multiple rows or
<H4><A name="4.19">4.19</A>) How do I return multiple rows or
columns from a function?</H4>
<P>In 7.3, you can easily return multiple rows or columns from a
@ -1101,7 +1069,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
<a href="http://techdocs.postgresql.org/guides/SetReturningFunctions">
http://techdocs.postgresql.org/guides/SetReturningFunctions</a>.
<H4><A name="4.21">4.21</A>) Why can't I reliably create/drop
<H4><A name="4.20">4.20</A>) Why can't I reliably create/drop
temporary tables in PL/PgSQL functions?</H4>
<P>PL/PgSQL caches function contents, and an unfortunate side effect
is that if a PL/PgSQL function accesses a temporary table, and that
@ -1111,7 +1079,7 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
<SMALL>EXECUTE</SMALL> for temporary table access in PL/PgSQL. This
will cause the query to be reparsed every time.</P>
<H4><A name="4.22">4.22</A>) What encryption options are available?
<H4><A name="4.21">4.21</A>) What encryption options are available?
</H4>
<UL>
<LI><I>contrib/pgcrypto</I> contains many encryption functions for