Re: DESC

D. Duccini <duccini@backpack.com>

From: "D. Duccini" <duccini@backpack.com>
To: Mike Castle <dalgoda@ix.netcom.com>
Cc: pgsql-novice@postgresql.org
Date: 2000-11-22T19:01:10Z
Lists: pgsql-novice
describe isn't really an SQL reserved AFAIK, its used in most "monitor"
applications, like sqlplus and pgsql

> On Wed, Nov 22, 2000 at 06:38:15PM +0100, Albert REINER wrote:
> > And if you start psql with option -E you will see the actual
> > SQL-queries used by \d.
> 
> That's nifty.  I've read through all of the pgsql documentation before
> starting everything, but I think I'm suffering a bit from information
> overload.  I knew this information was somewhere, I just couldn't remember
> where.
> 
> So, thanks to all who pointed me to \d.
> 
> Ok then.  It looks to me like both "DESC" and "DESCRIBE" are SQL keywords.
> DESC apparently is meant for descending, so I'm guessing that Oracle's
> sqlplus usage of DESC is an extension.  Is that correct?
> 
> If so, is "DESCRIBE" the ANSI command that should do what \d does or does
> it serve another purpose in ANSI?  (A pointer as to where to find this
> explicitly would be nice; will eventually purchase the standard myself).
> 
> If DESCRIBE is supposed to do that, is there any reason that pgsql doesn't
> do that outside of "\d works, so no one has bothered to implement it."
> 
> Thanks,
> mrc
> -- 
>        Mike Castle       Life is like a clock:  You can work constantly
>   dalgoda@ix.netcom.com  and be right all the time, or not work at all
> www.netcom.com/~dalgoda/ and be right at least twice a day.  -- mrc
>     We are all of us living in the shadow of Manhattan.  -- Watchmen
> 


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