The following bug has been logged online: Bug reference: 4324 Logged by: Jeff Galyan Email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] PostgreSQL version: 8.3.3 Operating system: Linux Description: Default value for a column is not returned in select when column has not been explicitly set Details:
When a column does not have a value explicitly set, v8.3.3 is not returning the default value for the column, as 8.2.3 used to (per section 11.5 of the SQL specification). The purpose of setting a default value for a column is so a value will be returned if the column has not been explicitly set. If a nullable column has no value but does have a default, the specification requires that the default value be returned. If the column's value has been explicitly set, then the value in the column must be returned. Further, when a default is specified in the column descriptor, INSERTs which omit setting a value for the column should automatically insert the default value into the column. Again, the behavior in 8.2 conformed with the SQL specification, section 11.5. 8.3 is not behaving per the spec. Example: Take an existing table with some data in it and add a nullable column of type boolean with default value true. In 8.2, 'select bool_column from my_table' would have returned 'true' for all rows where the column had not been explicitly set (which should be all of them at this point). Subsequent inserts would have the value automatically set to 'true' if no value was specified, or whatever value is explicitly specified. In 8.3, this case will return NULL for all rows where the value has not been explicitly specified. Per sec. 11.5 of the SQL spec, the behavior of v8.2 is correct. -- Sent via pgsql-bugs mailing list (pgsql-bugs@postgresql.org) To make changes to your subscription: http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-bugs
