Re: ALTER TABLE DROP COLUMN

Don Baccus <dhogaza@pacifier.com>

From: Don Baccus <dhogaza@pacifier.com>

To: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>

Cc: "Hiroshi Inoue" <Inoue@tpf.co.jp>, "Bruce Momjian" <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>, "Peter Eisentraut" <peter_e@gmx.net>, "PostgreSQL Development" <pgsql-hackers@postgreSQL.org>

Date: 2000-06-10T12:43:06Z

Lists: pgsql-hackers

At 01:14 AM 6/10/00 -0400, Tom Lane wrote:
>Don Baccus <dhogaza@pacifier.com> writes:
>> Oracle gives you the choice between the "cheating" fast method(s) and
>> the "real" slow (really slow?) real method.
>
>> So there's at least real world experience by virtue of example by
>> the world's most successful database supplier that user control
>> over "hide the column" and "really delete the column" is valuable.
>
>Sure, but you don't need any help from the database to do "really delete
>the column".  SELECT INTO... is enough, and it's not even any slower
>than the implementations under discussion.
>
>So I'm satisfied if we offer the "hide the column" approach.

<shrug> I wouldn't put a "real" drop column at the top of my list
of priorities, but there is something to be said for user convenience.



- Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza@pacifier.com>
  Nature photos, on-line guides, Pacific Northwest
  Rare Bird Alert Service and other goodies at
  http://donb.photo.net.