In SQL (and computer science in general), a Boolean expression is a logical statement that evaluates to either true or false. Some RDBMSs provide a boolean data type that can store values that are either true or false (or unknown). PostgreSQL is one such RDBMS.
In PostgreSQL, the Boolean type is called boolean and it uses 1 byte.
When we use the format() function in PostgreSQL, we can pass any number of strings to insert into the resulting formatted string in positions that are specified in the first argument. When we do this, we might typically pass the strings as separate arguments. But this isn’t the only way to do it.
We have the option of passing the strings as array elements. That is, we can pass an array to the function, and have it extract each array element as though it’s a separate argument to insert into the formatted string.
Continue readingPostgreSQL provides us with the ability to create arrays, extract element values from them, and more. When it comes to selecting values, there’s a special syntax that we must use in order to get the exact element that we want to select.
Basically, the syntax involves the array or column name, followed by a pair of square brackets with the subscript of the element that we want to select.
Continue readingPostgreSQL allows us to create columns that store arrays. That is, we can define the column as an array column so that we can insert arrays into the column. This enables us to work with the arrays in the columns without it being confused with plain text.
We have a couple of options for inserting arrays into columns. One is to use an array literal. Another is to use an array constructor. Examples of each of these options are below.
Continue readingWhen it comes to prepending a values to arrays in PostgreSQL, we have a number of options available to us. Below are four methods we can use to prepend a value to an array in PostgreSQL.
Continue readingAnyone who looks at PostgreSQL’s list of mathematical functions will notice that there are some functions that have “scale” in their name. In particular, scale(), min_scale(), and trim_scale().
While these functions all have a similar name, they each have a different purpose. That said, they’re all related to the scale of the given number. The scale is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point in a number. For example, the number 1.95 has a scale of 2, and 1.958 has a scale of 3.
Continue readingIn PostgreSQL, a composite type is a data type that represents the structure of a row or record. It’s basically a list of field names and their data types.
We can use composite types in many of the same ways we can use simple types, such as in table columns.
Below are two ways of creating composite types in PostgreSQL.
Continue readingBelow is an alphabetical list of functions that we can use when working with arrays in PostgreSQL.
Continue readingPostgreSQL allows us to create arrays and store them in a database column. When we do this, we can use various array related tools to retrieve data from such arrays, as well as manipulate the data within them.
We do need to define the column as an array column though. If we don’t do this, we will likely run into trouble when we want to retrieve data from the array. For example, we can’t just store an array as the text type and then expect to be able to use subscripts to refer to its individual elements.
Continue readingIn PostgreSQL, we can use the ... IS NORMALIZED expression to check whether or not a given Unicode string is in a specified Unicode normalization form.
By default, it checks whether it’s in the NFC form, but we also have the option of specifying NFD, NFKC, or NFKD.