From 2f600115a5a95e94f4085a5114ace0116314c4a4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: =?UTF-8?q?=C3=81lvaro=20Herrera?= Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2025 13:26:44 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] doc: mention unusability of dropped CHECK to verify NOT NULL It's possible to use a CHECK (col IS NOT NULL) constraint to skip scanning a table for nulls when adding a NOT NULL constraint on the same column. However, if the CHECK constraint is dropped on the same command that the NOT NULL is added, this fails, i.e., makes the NOT NULL addition slow. The best we can do about it at this stage is to document this so that users aren't taken by surprise. (In Postgres 18 you can directly add the NOT NULL constraint as NOT VALID instead, so there's no longer much use for the CHECK constraint, therefore no point in building mechanism to support the case better.) Reported-by: Andrew Reviewed-by: David G. Johnston Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/175385113607.786.16774570234342968908@wrigleys.postgresql.org --- doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_table.sgml | 7 ++++--- 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_table.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_table.sgml index 2907afd790d..b5a7feb681a 100644 --- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_table.sgml +++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_table.sgml @@ -237,9 +237,10 @@ WITH ( MODULUS numeric_literal, REM provided none of the records in the table contain a NULL value for the column. Ordinarily this is checked during the ALTER TABLE by scanning the - entire table; however, if a valid CHECK constraint is - found which proves no NULL can exist, then the - table scan is skipped. + entire table; + however, if a valid CHECK constraint exists + (and is not dropped in the same command) which proves no + NULL can exist, then the table scan is skipped.