Re: Sequences without blank holes

MaRcElO PeReIrA wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I have been using the following table (short, short,
> short version):
>
> CREATE TABLE products (
> prod_id SERIAL,
> description TEXT
> );
>
> BUT, there is lots os users blaming because the holes
> in the [prod_id] field (and, of course it as supposed
> to be like this, because sequences only increase their
> values and never rollback).
>
> So, a real SELECT statement would return:
>
> $ select * from products;
> prod_id | description
> --------+---------------------
> 1 | S470DXBLM
> 12 | S470DXABM
> 33 | RG250DX
> --------+---------------------
> (3 rows)
>
> and it is ok to me, but not to the users.
>
> How can I assure a ''sequence WITHOUT holes''?

Whatever you do, continue to use a serial field.

Now, it sounds like the users are just complaining about asthetics or
something, because both you and I know that it will work fine with the
way it is currently set up. But, you want to keep the users happy...

So, set up the table like this:

rec_id | prod_id | description
--------+---------------------
1 | 1 | S470DXBLM
12 | 2 | S470DXABM
33 | 3 | RG250DX
--------+---------------------

rec_id would be your primary key. prod_id would be what you show to the
users. Now, say someone deletes the middle record - you end up with:

rec_id | prod_id | description
--------+---------------------
1 | 1 | S470DXBLM
33 | 3 | RG250DX
--------+---------------------

So, you still have a gap to be filled when the next record is added.
What you will want to do is keep the "prod_id" of the record that was
deleted - store it in a "holding" table of deleted "prod_id" records:

rec_id | prod_id
--------+---------
1 | 2
--------+---------

Then, when you add a record to your main table, select for the lowest
prod_id from the deleted items table, and use that prod_id to insert
into your main table, and delete the record from the deleted items
table. So, your main table would then look something like this:

rec_id | prod_id | description
--------+---------------------
1 | 1 | S470DXBLM
33 | 3 | RG250DX
34 | 2 | XYZ123
--------+---------------------

If the deleted items table is empty when you go to insert, select the
largest prod_id from the main table, and increment it by one before
adding the record.

Now, you only show "prod_id" and "description" to the users, and voila,
no more gaps (at least as far as they are concerned - rec_id will still,
of course, have gaps, as it should).

Hope this helps...

Andrew Ayers
Phoenix, Arizona

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