Re: Pulling data from a constraint def

From: David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org>
To: Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
Cc: Josh Kupershmidt <schmiddy(at)gmail(dot)com>, "Gauthier, Dave" <dave(dot)gauthier(at)intel(dot)com>, "pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org" <pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: Pulling data from a constraint def
Date: 2010-05-14 00:14:36
Message-ID: 20100514001436.GE3460@fetter.org
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On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 08:08:31PM -0400, Tom Lane wrote:
> David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org> writes:
> > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 12:33:08AM -0400, Tom Lane wrote:
> >> I'm surprised no one has yet suggested an ENUM type.
>
> > I didn't suggest it because I didn't know about it, but because
> > I've found ENUM to be a trap for the unwary.
>
> > Very seldom are people absolutely certain that they'll have one
> > particular list of things forever. The list may grow or shrink,
> > or the order may change, and in those cases where the list changes
> > somehow, ENUM causes more problems than it solves.
>
> Well, the inability to change the list of values is certainly an
> unpleasant limitation, but is it so fatal that we should hide the
> feature from people who could possibly use it? I think not.

It's enough of a foot-gun that I would not even mention it to start
with, except to discuss its problems.

Cheers,
David.
--
David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org> http://fetter.org/
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