BUG #16107: string_agg looses first item
The following bug has been logged on the website:
Bug reference: 16107
Logged by: Andrew Wheelwright
Email address: andrew.wheelwright@familysearch.org
PostgreSQL version: 11.5
Operating system: Linux
Description:
I ran into a scenario where I found results getting dropped from string
aggregation. Here's a basic example which reproduces the problem on three
different servers running PostgreSQL 9.6.6, 10.6, and 11.5, respectively. I
don't have an instance running version 12.
with dataset as (
select 'One' "Label", 1 "ID"
union
select 'Two' "Label", 2 "ID"
union
select 'Three' "Label", 3 "ID"
)
select
string_agg(', ', "Label" order by "ID") "String Aggregated Labels",
array_agg("Label" order by "ID") "Array Aggregated Labels"
from
dataset
;
Which renders the following result:
String Aggregated Labels: `, Two, Three, `
Array Aggregated Labels: `{One,Two,Three}`
The value "One" is missing from the string aggregate result and there is a
dangling separator on both ends of the string.
PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org> writes:
I ran into a scenario where I found results getting dropped from string
aggregation. Here's a basic example which reproduces the problem on three
different servers running PostgreSQL 9.6.6, 10.6, and 11.5, respectively. I
don't have an instance running version 12.
with dataset as (
select 'One' "Label", 1 "ID"
union
select 'Two' "Label", 2 "ID"
union
select 'Three' "Label", 3 "ID"
)
select
string_agg(', ', "Label" order by "ID") "String Aggregated Labels",
array_agg("Label" order by "ID") "Array Aggregated Labels"
from
dataset
;
Which renders the following result:
String Aggregated Labels: `, Two, Three, `
Array Aggregated Labels: `{One,Two,Three}`
I think you've got the string_agg parameters backwards, it should be
regression=# with dataset as (
select 'One' "Label", 1 "ID"
union
select 'Two' "Label", 2 "ID"
union
select 'Three' "Label", 3 "ID"
)
select
string_agg("Label", ', ' order by "ID") "String Aggregated Labels",
array_agg("Label" order by "ID") "Array Aggregated Labels"
from
dataset
;
String Aggregated Labels | Array Aggregated Labels
--------------------------+-------------------------
One, Two, Three | {One,Two,Three}
(1 row)
regards, tom lane