Re: Multi-Table Insert/Update Strategy - Use Functions/Procedures?

On Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 4:25 PM, Joshua Berkus <josh(at)agliodbs(dot)com> wrote:

>
>
> > Am I on the right track, or is there some better way to set this up? My
> > understanding is that views really aren't meant for insert/update
> > operations, and I have seen on the web that using views to insert/update
> is
> > a bit tricky - and still requires a procedure with a rule on the view.
>
> Why not use updatable CTEs? That's what they're for.
>
>
Sounds great. But can I use variables, and allow the db user to enter the
data when the CTE is called? I've used variables in Python scripts for
insert/update/delete, but honestly, I've never used a variable in my
queries in PostgreSQL. So, instead of 'Joe', as in your example below,
maybe something like first_name?

> WITH update_contact as (
> INSERT INTO contacts ( contact_id, name )
> VALUES ( nexval('contacts_id_seq'), 'Joe' )
> RETURNING contact_id ),
> new_cont_ids AS (
> SELECT contact_id FROM update_contact;
> ),
> insert_phones AS (
> INSERT INTO phones ( phone_id, contact_id, phone_no )
> SELECT ( nextval('phone_id_seq'), contact_id, '415-555-1212' )
> FROM new_cont_ids
> RETURNING phone_id
> ) ...
>
> I think you get the idea. On 9.3 or later, this is the way to go.
>
>