Scribd
Upload
160 views

PL - PGSQL Function Returns A Table

This document discusses how to create PostgreSQL functions that return tables. Functions are defined using CREATE FUNCTION with a RETURNS TABLE clause specifying the column names. The function body contains a RETURN QUERY statement to return the results of a SELECT. Functions can accept parameters and loop through query results, modifying and returning rows one by one using RETURN NEXT. Functions returning tables allow querying data after applying custom logic within PostgreSQL.

Uploaded by

Dembosaaye Ziemah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
160 views

PL - PGSQL Function Returns A Table

This document discusses how to create PostgreSQL functions that return tables. Functions are defined using CREATE FUNCTION with a RETURNS TABLE clause specifying the column names. The function body contains a RETURN QUERY statement to return the results of a SELECT. Functions can accept parameters and loop through query results, modifying and returning rows one by one using RETURN NEXT. Functions returning tables allow querying data after applying custom logic within PostgreSQL.

Uploaded by

Dembosaaye Ziemah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

How to Develop a PL/pgSQL Function That Returns a


Table

If this PostgreSQL Tutorial saves you


hours of work, please whitelist it in
your ad blocker 😭 and

Donate Now
(https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/donation/)

to help us ❤️pay for the web


hosting fee and CDN to keep the
website running.
Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn how to develop PostgreSQL functions that return a table.

To define a function that returns a table, you use the following form of the create function
(https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-create-function/) statement:

create or replace function function_name (

parameter_list

returns table ( column_list )

language plpgsql

as $$

declare

-- variable declaration

begin

-- body

end; $$

https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 1/6
7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

Instead of returning a single value, this syntax allows you to return a table with a specified column list:

returns table ( column_list )

We will use the film table from the sample database (https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-sample-
database/) for the demonstration:

The following function returns all films whose titles match a particular pattern using ILIKE operator
(https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-like/) .

create or replace function get_film (

p_pattern varchar

returns table (

film_title varchar,

film_release_year int

language plpgsql

as $$

begin

return query

select

https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 2/6
7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

title,

release_year::integer

from

film

where

title ilike p_pattern;

end;$$

This get_film(varchar) accepts one parameter p_pattern which is a pattern that you want
to match with the film title.

The function returns a query that is the result of a select statement. Note that the columns in the result
set must be the same as the columns in the table defined after the returns table clause.

Because the data type (https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-data-types/) of release_year column


from the film table is not integer, you need to cast it to an integer using the cast operator :: .

The folowing shows how to call the get_film() function:

SELECT * FROM get_film ('Al%');

Output:

If you call the function using the following statement, PostgreSQL returns a table that consists of one
column that holds an array of rows:
https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 3/6
7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

SELECT get_film ('Al%');

Output:

In practice, you often process each individual row before appending it in the function’s result set:

create or replace function get_film (

p_pattern varchar,

p_year int

returns table (

film_title varchar,

film_release_year int

language plpgsql

as $$

declare

var_r record;

begin

for var_r in(

select title, release_year

from film

where title ilike p_pattern and

https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 4/6
7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

release_year = p_year

) loop film_title := upper(var_r.title) ;

film_release_year := var_r.release_year;

return next;

end loop;

end; $$

In this example, we created the get_film(varchar,int) that accepts two parameters:

The p_pattern is used to search for films.

The p_year is the release year of the films.

In the function body, we used a for loop staetment to process the query row by row.

The return next statement adds a row to the returned table of the function.

The following illustrates how to call the get_film() function:

SELECT * FROM get_film ('%er', 2006);

Note that this example is for the demonstration purposes.

https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 5/6
7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Returns A Table

Summary
Use the returns table (column_list) in the create function to define a function that
returns a table (or result set).

https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table/ 6/6

You might also like