Issue with copying data from a text file.

From: Paul Lambert <paul(dot)lambert(at)autoledgers(dot)com(dot)au>
To: pgsql-sql(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Issue with copying data from a text file.
Date: 2007-03-20 02:25:38
Message-ID: 45FF4622.2010404@autoledgers.com.au
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I have a procedure in place that copies data from a caret delimited text
file into a table storing some information.

One of the fields in the table contains an item description which may
contain item dimensions such as - 17" alloy wheels

The problem I am getting when I do my load is I believe due to the
presence of the double quotation marks giving the copy the impression
that it is to include the information following as a single text string
until it gets to the next set of double quotes. As a result, I get the
following:

AutoDRS=# COPY deal_lines_temp_load FROM
'c:/temp/autodrs_deal_lines.txt'
WITH DELIMITER AS '^' CSV HEADER;
ERROR: value too long for type character varying(30)
CONTEXT: COPY deal_lines_temp_load, line 87, column order_desc: "17 5
spoke alloy wheels.^1291.18^117.38^983.69^1291.18^^C^^

The column as you can see is defined as a 30 character field, the load
contains in this column ^17" 5 spoke alloy wheels.^

I note an option in the COPY command to specify the quote character,
defaulting to double quote. The problem being a single quote will also
be used in the data, as will other characters. Is there any way to get a
copy to have no quote character? I.e. read the file and put whatever is
between the caret characters straight into the appropriate field exactly
as is.

TIA,
Paul.

--
Paul Lambert
Database Administrator
AutoLedgers

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