RE: serial type; race conditions

Probably just me: but I don't see the point. Consider:
* User 1 commences insert transaction: grabs nextval(sequence),
max(foo)
* User 2 commences insert transaction: grabs nextval(sequence),
max(foo)
* User 1 commits
* User 2 commits (insert has sequence value one higher than for User
1, but same value for max(foo) + 1), or
* If foo has a unique constraint, transaction 2 will roll back.

Either way, I don't see what has been gained. All of the messages I have
read on this subject conclude with the same point: choice is to:
* accept unique sequence with holes
* accept loss of concurrency (as in the example above).

Or am I just missing the point?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Perrin [SMTP:aperrin(at)socrates(dot)berkeley(dot)edu]
> Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 8:46 AM
> To: pgsql(at)symcom(dot)com
> Cc: PgSQL-SQL
> Subject: Re: serial type; race conditions
>
> I ditto what Bruce said - trying to get a true sequence without gaps is a
> losing battle. Why don't you, instead, use a serial column as the real
> sequence, and then a trigger that simply inserts max(foo) + 1 in a
> different column? Then when you need to know the column, do something
> like:
>
> SELECT number_i_care_about FROM table WHERE serial_number =
> currval('serial_number_seq');
>
> ap
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Andrew J Perrin - Ph.D. Candidate, UC Berkeley, Dept. of Sociology
> (Soon: Asst Professor of Sociology, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
> andrew_perrin(at)unc(dot)edu - http://www.unc.edu/~aperrin
>
> On Thu, 29 Mar 2001, Bruce Momjian wrote:
>
> > > How does currval work if you are not inside a transaction. I have
> > > been experimenting with inserting into a table that has a sequence.
> > > If the insert fails (not using a transaction) because of bad client
> input
> > > then the next insert gets the proper next number in the sequence.
> >
> > If you are in a transaction, and the INSERT succeeds but the transaction
> > rolls back, the sequence does not get reused. Each backend has a local
> > variable that holds the most recent sequence assigned. That is how
> > currval works.
> >
> > >
> > > given sequence 1,2,3,4,5 exists
> > > insert into table date 1/111/01 (obviously wrong) insert fails...
> > > try again with good data, insert succeeds and gets number 6 in the
> > > sequence.
> > >
> > > i'm getting what I want. A sequence number that does not increment
> > > on a failed insert. However, how do I get the assigned sequence
> > > number with currval when I am not using a transaction? What
> > > happens when multiple users are inserting at the same time?
> > >
> > > I am trying to create a sequence with out any "missing" numbers. If
> > > there is a failure to insert, and a sequence number is "taken". I want
>
> > > the empty row.
> > >
> > > Thanks, .... it is getting clearer....
> >
> > You really can't use sequences with no gaps. Sequence numbers are not
> > _held_ until commit because it would block other backends trying to get
> > sequence numbers.
> >
> > --
> > Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us
> > pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us | (610) 853-3000
> > + If your life is a hard drive, | 830 Blythe Avenue
> > + Christ can be your backup. | Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
> 19026
> >
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