Re: 7.0 release notes should call out incompatible changes more clearly

From: Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: Andrew McMillan <Andrew(at)catalyst(dot)net(dot)nz>
Cc: PostgreSQL Hackers <pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: 7.0 release notes should call out incompatible changes more clearly
Date: 2000-04-03 05:32:20
Message-ID: 15935.954739940@sss.pgh.pa.us
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Andrew McMillan <Andrew(at)catalyst(dot)net(dot)nz> writes:
>> 2. SELECT DISTINCT ON syntax has changed --- now need parentheses
>> around the item being DISTINCT'ed.

> I have just upgraded my development machine today and this is proving to
> be a real pain in the neck as I seem to have used this all over the
> place :-)

> Can anyone suggest any syntax that I could use in the interim which will
> be compatible with 7.0 but which will also work with 6.5.3 so that I can
> minimise the pain of upgrading?

Er ... don't use DISTINCT ON? It's not to be found anywhere in the
SQL92 specs, so if you want to run your app on a variety of DBMSes,
that's your only choice anyway.

If you are a heavy user of DISTINCT ON, I should think you'd gladly
accept a little conversion pain for the benefit of being able to do
DISTINCT ON multiple expressions, instead of only one unadorned
column name.

regards, tom lane

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