Re: pg_restore dbname

PG Doc comments form <noreply(at)postgresql(dot)org> writes:
> "-C
> --create
> ...
> When this option is used, the database named with -d is used only to
> issue the initial DROP DATABASE and CREATE DATABASE commands. All data is
> restored into the database name that appears in the archive."

> I am finding the opposite happening from that final sentence. When I use
> --clean and --create, it is using the database name from the archive during
> the DROP and CREATE commands, and using the --dbname argument for the actual
> data restore.

Well, it'll initially connect to the database named in -d, issue DROP and
CREATE DATABASE commands naming the target database from there, and then
reconnect to the newly-created database to restore its contents. If you
can show that it's not doing that, that'd be grounds for a bug report
(with some backing details).

> However, do either things make sense? Shouldn't all of these
> commands be executed against the provided database name in the command?

No, because dropping the database one is currently connected to is
disallowed. So --clean/--create *can't* work that way.

> How
> can I take a backup from my production environment and restore it into my
> test environment, if the db names are different?

Don't use --create. Just give the existing target DB name in -d.
(You can use --clean if you want, but it's probably better to
drop and recreate the test DB manually.)

BTW, the behavior in this area changed a bit in v11, so be careful
you are reading docs that correspond to the pg_restore version
you are using. I don't think this specific thing changed, but
the overall division of labor between pg_dump and pg_dumpall
changed.

regards, tom lane