Mention RETURNING ... INTO target
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-insert.html
Description:
It looks like INSERT INTO ... RETURNING allows defining a target for the
returned values like SELECT ... INTO does.
This could be mentioned in the synopsis, or at least in the description of
"output_expression", maybe even garnished with an example.
Thanks,
s.
n Tue, Jun 7, 2022 at 1:30 PM PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org>
wrote:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-insert.html
Description:It looks like INSERT INTO ... RETURNING allows defining a target for the
returned values like SELECT ... INTO does.This could be mentioned in the synopsis, or at least in the description of
"output_expression", maybe even garnished with an example.
That isn't how it works. RETURNING simply turns INSERT into a result set
producing SQL Command. And SQL doesn't have a concept of "target"
(variables) in the sense you are thinking. pg/pgsql does, allowing result
set data to be placed into variables.
If you look you'll notice a corresponding lack of "INTO" on the SELECT
Command reference page as well, for the same reason.
David J.
"David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> writes:
On Tue, Jun 7, 2022 at 1:30 PM PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org>
wrote:It looks like INSERT INTO ... RETURNING allows defining a target for the
returned values like SELECT ... INTO does.
That isn't how it works. RETURNING simply turns INSERT into a result set
producing SQL Command. And SQL doesn't have a concept of "target"
(variables) in the sense you are thinking. pg/pgsql does, allowing result
set data to be placed into variables.
Right. And in fact this *is* documented in the context of pl/pgsql:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/plpgsql-statements.html#PLPGSQL-STATEMENTS-SQL-ONEROW
regards, tom lane
