I have a table which references other tables:
CREATE TABLE scratch
(
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
rep_id INT NOT NULL REFERENCES reps,
term_id INT REFERENCES terms
);
CREATE TABLE reps (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
rep TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE
);
CREATE TABLE terms (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
terms TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE
);
I wish to add a new record to scratch given the name, the rep and the terms values, i.e. I have neither corresponding rep_id nor term_id.
Right now the only idea that I have is:
insert into scratch (name, rep_id, term_id)
values ('aaa', (select id from reps where rep='Dracula' limit 1), (select id from terms where terms='prepaid' limit 1));
My problem is this. I am trying to use the parameterized query API (from node using the node-postgres package), where an insert query looks like this:
insert into scratch (name, rep_id, term_id) values ($1, $2, $3);
and then an array of values for $1, $2 and $3 is passed as a separate argument. At the end, when I am comfortable with the parameterized queries the idea is to promote them to prepared statements to utilize the most efficient and safest way to query the database.
However, I am puzzled how can I do this with my example, where different tables have to be subqueried.
P.S. I am using PostgreSQL 9.2 and have no problem with a PostgreSQL specific solution.
EDIT 1
C:\Users\markk>psql -U postgres
psql (9.2.4)
WARNING: Console code page (437) differs from Windows code page (1252)
8-bit characters might not work correctly. See psql reference
page "Notes for Windows users" for details.
Type "help" for help.
postgres=# \c dummy
WARNING: Console code page (437) differs from Windows code page (1252)
8-bit characters might not work correctly. See psql reference
page "Notes for Windows users" for details.
You are now connected to database "dummy" as user "postgres".
dummy=# DROP TABLE scratch;
DROP TABLE
dummy=# CREATE TABLE scratch
dummy-# (
dummy(# id SERIAL NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
dummy(# name text NOT NULL UNIQUE,
dummy(# rep_id integer NOT NULL,
dummy(# term_id integer
dummy(# );
NOTICE: CREATE TABLE will create implicit sequence "scratch_id_seq" for serial column "scratch.id"
NOTICE: CREATE TABLE / PRIMARY KEY will create implicit index "scratch_pkey" for table "scratch"
NOTICE: CREATE TABLE / UNIQUE will create implicit index "scratch_name_key" for table "scratch"
CREATE TABLE
dummy=# DEALLOCATE insert_scratch;
ERROR: prepared statement "insert_scratch" does not exist
dummy=# PREPARE insert_scratch (text, text, text) AS
dummy-# INSERT INTO scratch (name, rep_id, term_id)
dummy-# SELECT $1, r.id, t.id
dummy-# FROM reps r, terms t
dummy-# WHERE r.rep = $2 AND t.terms = $3
dummy-# RETURNING id, name, $2 rep, $3 terms;
PREPARE
dummy=# DEALLOCATE insert_scratch2;
ERROR: prepared statement "insert_scratch2" does not exist
dummy=# PREPARE insert_scratch2 (text, text, text) AS
dummy-# INSERT INTO scratch (name, rep_id, term_id)
dummy-# VALUES ($1, (SELECT id FROM reps WHERE rep=$2 LIMIT 1), (SELECT id FROM terms WHERE terms=$3 LIMIT 1))
dummy-# RETURNING id, name, $2 rep, $3 terms;
PREPARE
dummy=# EXECUTE insert_scratch ('abc', 'Snowhite', '');
id | name | rep | terms
----+------+-----+-------
(0 rows)
INSERT 0 0
dummy=# EXECUTE insert_scratch2 ('abc', 'Snowhite', '');
id | name | rep | terms
----+------+----------+-------
1 | abc | Snowhite |
(1 row)
INSERT 0 1
dummy=# EXECUTE insert_scratch ('abcd', 'Snowhite', '30 days');
id | name | rep | terms
----+------+----------+---------
2 | abcd | Snowhite | 30 days
(1 row)
INSERT 0 1
dummy=# EXECUTE insert_scratch2 ('abcd2', 'Snowhite', '30 days');
id | name | rep | terms
----+-------+----------+---------
3 | abcd2 | Snowhite | 30 days
(1 row)
INSERT 0 1
dummy=#
EDIT 2
We can utilize the fact that rep_id
is required, even though terms_id
is optional and use the following version of INSERT-SELECT:
PREPARE insert_scratch (text, text, text) AS
INSERT INTO scratch (name, rep_id, term_id)
SELECT $1, r.id, t.id
FROM reps r
LEFT JOIN terms t ON t.terms = $3
WHERE r.rep = $2
RETURNING id, name, $2 rep, $3 terms;
This version, however, has two problems:
- No distinction is made between a missing
terms
value (i.e. '') and an invalid terms
value (i.e. a non empty value missing from the terms table entirely). Both are treated as missing terms. (But the INSERT with two subqueries suffers from the same problem)
- The version depends on the fact that the
rep
is required. But what if rep_id
was optional too?
EDIT 3
Found the solution for the item 2 - eliminating dependency on rep being required. Plus using the WHERE statement has the problem that the sql does not fail if the rep is invalid - it just inserts 0 rows, whereas I want to fail explicitly in this case. My solution is simply using a dummy one row CTE:
PREPARE insert_scratch (text, text, text) AS
WITH stub(x) AS (VALUES (0))
INSERT INTO scratch (name, rep_id, term_id)
SELECT $1, r.id, t.id
FROM stub
LEFT JOIN terms t ON t.terms = $3
LEFT JOIN reps r ON r.rep = $2
RETURNING id, name, rep_id, term_id;
If rep is missing or invalid, this sql will try to insert NULL into the rep_id field and since the field is NOT NULL
an error would be raised - precisely what I need. And if further I decide to make rep optional - no problem, the same SQL works for that too.