Request for official clarification on SQL parameter parsing changes in PostgreSQL 15 and 16

From: 王 博 <bo(dot)wang(at)infortech(dot)co(dot)jp>
To: "pgsql-general(at)lists(dot)postgresql(dot)org" <pgsql-general(at)lists(dot)postgresql(dot)org>
Cc: 李 浩 <hao(dot)li(at)infortech(dot)co(dot)jp>
Subject: Request for official clarification on SQL parameter parsing changes in PostgreSQL 15 and 16
Date: 2025-04-17 05:17:18
Message-ID: TYCP286MB3620D4D19E3793CFA106CCBFB6BC2@TYCP286MB3620.JPNP286.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM
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Hello PostgreSQL Community,

We have encountered unexpected SQL parsing errors during application upgrades from PostgreSQL 14 to 15 and 16, related to the use of JDBC-style parameter placeholders (`?`) in our legacy applications.

Specifically:

1. In PostgreSQL 15 and later:
The following SQL causes a syntax error unless a space is added after the `?`:
SELECT * FROM table WHERE a = ?AND b = 123;
→ Adding a space (`? AND`) resolves the issue.
This did not cause an error in PostgreSQL 14.

2. In PostgreSQL 16:
The following SQL causes a syntax error:
SELECT * FROM table WHERE a = ?ORDER BY b;
→ This query runs in PostgreSQL 15, but causes an error in 16 unless a space is added after `?`.

We understand that this behavior may stem from changes to the parser to make it more strict and SQL-compliant. However, we were unable to find any explicit mention of these changes in the official release notes of PostgreSQL 15 or 16.

Our client is asking for official documentation or a statement confirming whether this behavior change was intentional and when it was introduced.

Could anyone kindly point us to:
- Relevant release note sections, commits, or discussions on this change
- Confirmation that these are intentional parser changes (and not regressions)

Any help or references would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Wang Bo

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