Re: [QUESTIONS] Arrays (inserting and removing)

From: Bryan Basham <basham(at)bhi(dot)com>
To: vadim(at)sable(dot)krasnoyarsk(dot)su, karl(at)mcs(dot)net
Cc: pgsql-hackers(at)postgreSQL(dot)org, pgsql-questions(at)postgreSQL(dot)org
Subject: Re: [QUESTIONS] Arrays (inserting and removing)
Date: 1998-01-15 18:39:16
Message-ID: 199801151839.LAA18971@sabrina.secure.bhi.com
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> OIDs are a bastardization of the relational model. If you have to keep
> them, then do so, but their use should be SEVERELY discouraged.

Explain yourself, please.

In my opinion, I view the OID in the same way as I view the SERIAL datatype
in Informix. It is usually a primary key field in a table. On an insert,
the DBMS will increment the current serial-maximum (for that table) and insert
the new serial value into that field; thus creating a unique identifier.

There are differences between OID and SERIAL. The main difference is that
the OID field (always called 'oid') is always present whereas a DB designer
explicitly creates 'id' fields (of SERIAL type). Thus, postgresql treats
every table as an object (which is not always the case).

Is the SERIAL datatype part of the SQL-92 standard? Does PostgreSQL plan
to support SERIAL in the future. This would be an acceptable replacement
for the OID.

-Bryan Basham

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