PostgreSQL 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 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 || operator to concatenate two arrays. We can also use it to append or prepend a (compatible) non-array value to an array.
PostgreSQL allows us to create arrays and store them in the database as an array type. We can then go back later and update those arrays as required.
We can either replace the whole array, append or prepend elements, or update individual elements within the array. When we update individual elements, we can update one element or a whole slice. Below are examples of updating an array in PostgreSQL.
Continue readingBy default, PostgreSQL arrays are one-based. This means that we need to use 1 if we want to reference the first element in the array, 2 for the second, and so on.
But we also have the option of specifying our own subscript range for an an array. For example we could create a zero-based array, a ten-based array, or even a negative value such as a negative ten-based array.
We can do this by using subscripted assignment to specify the actual subscript range for the array. Basically, we prefix the array with the subscript range, enclosed in square brackets, and an equals sign (=) between it and the array.
If you’re updating arrays in PostgreSQL and you’ve suddenly realised that some of the arrays aren’t being updated, it could be due to the following.
If you’ve been using the array_append() function and the array_prepend() function, you may have found that one function works but the other doesn’t. For example array_append() works but array_prepend() doesn’t, or vice-versa.
In PostgreSQL, we can use array constructors to create arrays that contain elements that we specify. We can populate the array from literal values, or we can let a query provide the values.
We can also create multi-dimensional arrays. When populating the array from a query, we can use multiple subqueries to create each sub-array. Therefore we can create a multi-dimensional array from a query.
Continue readingIn PostgreSQL, the regexp_split_to_array() function splits a string using a POSIX regular expression as the delimiter, and returns the result in a text array.
So we use a POSIX regular expression to specify the delimiter/s, and split the string based on that.
We pass the string as the first argument and the pattern as the second. We can also specify a flag to determine how the function behaves.
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