How clock_timestamp() Works in PostgreSQL

In PostgreSQL, clock_timestamp() is a non-SQL-standard time function that returns the current date and time.

An important consideration of this function is that its result changes throughout the execution of a statement. Therefore, you could get a different result in different parts of the statement if you call the function multiple times within a single statement.

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How Abs() Works in PostgreSQL

In PostgreSQL, the abs() function returns the absolute value of its argument.

The absolute value means how far the number is away from zero. Therefore, the absolute value of 7 is 7, and the absolute value of -7 is also 7.

Therefore, any negative values passed to abs() are returned as positive values. Positive values and zero are returned unchanged.

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SQL Server’s Equivalent to Sleep(): The WAITFOR Statement

In SQL Server, you can use the WAITFOR statement to delay the execution of a batch, stored procedure, or transaction.

It works similar to MySQL‘s sleep() function.

Actually, it’s probably more like a combination of Postgres‘s three “sleep” functions: pg_sleep(), pg_sleep_for(), and pg_sleep_until().

I say this, because SQL Server’s WAITFOR statement gives you the option of specifying either a time delay, or an actual fixed time before execution continues.

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