Re: Flat File unload/export/copy

Steve,
Seems to work okay for me.
Which version of PostgreSQL are you using?

Looks like the query option was introduced in 8.2

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.2/static/sql-copy.html


I did a sample

copy (SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema LIKE
'pg%') to '/temp/pgcat.csv';

which should work in any db if you have admin rights and worked fine for me on an 8.2 install.

I suppose if you are using a version prior to 8.2, you could use the documented workaround

BEGIN;
CREATE TEMP TABLE a_list_countries AS
SELECT * FROM country WHERE country_name LIKE 'A%';
COPY a_list_countries TO '/usr1/proj/bray/sql/a_list_countries.copy';
ROLLBACK;
Hope that helps,
Regina

________________________________

From: Steve T [mailto:steve(at)retsol(dot)co(dot)uk]
Sent: Fri 9/12/2008 12:10 PM
To: Obe, Regina
Cc: PostGreSQL
Subject: Re: [NOVICE] Flat File unload/export/copy

Regina,
I wasn't aware that you could!
I just tried and that syntax gave me an error:
rel_reinsure=# copy (select * from client where name like '%BERT%') to '/tmp/stevet.clients';
ERROR: syntax error at or near "(" at character 6
LINE 1: copy (select * from client where name like '%BERT%') to '/tm...

- I can do though:
rel_reinsure=# copy client (recno,code,name) to '/tmp/stevet.clients';

... or select all columns, but that is 'too global' and I just want 'WHERE name LIKE '%BERT%' type syntax.

On Fri, 2008-09-12 at 11:31 -0400, Obe, Regina wrote:

And why can't you use copy?

Something like below -

COPY (SELECT * FROM sometable WHERE somevalue LIKE '%') TO
'/path/to/textfile.csv'

WITH NULL As 'NULL' CSV HEADER QUOTE AS '"';




________________________________

From: pgsql-novice-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org
[mailto:pgsql-novice-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org] On Behalf Of Steve T
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 11:16 AM
To: PostGreSQL
Subject: [NOVICE] Flat File unload/export/copy


Is there a command that copies data from a table to a flat file for
specified selection criteria?
IE akin to a copy but not dumping a whole file?
If I'm about to do a major change to data in a table, I'd like to be
able to keep a copy of the data before the change (I know I can
Begin...rollback should things go wrong).

Is there a command that I've missed? (Informix had an 'UNLOAD TO blah
SELECT blah..' type command which presumably was proprietary).
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