Re: Question on INSERT statement

Geoffrey KRETZ <gk(at)4js(dot)com> writes:
> I've a table temp_tab with 5 fields (f1,f2,f3,...),and I'm a launching
> the following request :
> INSERT INTO temp_tab VALUES (1,2,3)
> It will insert the values in the three first row whereas with informix
> or db2 for exemple, it will return an error.

This is an extension to the spec - per SQL92 it would be right to throw
an error. However Postgres has always behaved this way and we're not
likely to change it. (I think it's a hangover from PostQUEL.) Many
people find it to be a convenient behavior.

If you want an error then specify an explicit column list:

INSERT INTO temp_tab (f1,f2,f3,f4,f5) VALUES (1,2,3)

regards, tom lane