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Reordering Columns in PostgreSQL

2 points by HNBRN ↗ HN
This is kind of a stupid question but I see lot of people here recommend postgresql so I decided to give it a try.

I stumbled upon the fact that it's not possible to rearrange columns ordering.

Is this not too much of a constraint ? I mean what's the workaround for eg for the analysts using it daily ? Columns just pile at the end of every table without any consistency ?

Sorry for the broken english (french)

9 comments

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rangerelf
The order of the columns in your table creation statements is irrelevant to the order of how the columns return to you in your queries.

Your select statement specified the order of your result columns in your result set. Your visualization tools should have the option to reorder the displayed columns to your liking or need.

HNBRN
Thanks. I checked and dbeaver can indeed store columns ordering as a filtered view. Seems like a bit overcomplicated to me but I guess I've been spoiled with mysql in which the ordering is trivial.
wcorrales
https://github.com/TriangleCommunications/reorder-table-colu...
sargstuff
Reviewing database normal forms might be helpful/useful. [1]

Non-postgress, old school method:

1) Dump table data to ascii delimited file.

2) Use awk/gawk to re-arrange columns in ascii delimited file.

3) drop old data table.

4) create new data table to upload the awk/gawk data generated in #2.

5) upload awk/gawk data from #2.

--------

google translate might be helpful : https://translate.google.com/

[1] : https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/first-normal-form-1nf/?ref=lbp

few other related links, as some things get lost when translating between languages.

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/programming-foundations-da...

https://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~cs61/Resources/Papers/CACM%20K...

https://www.i-programmer.info/babbages-bag/292-codd-and-his-...

HNBRN
Thanks, we could definitely start from this
sargstuff
resources:

awk: the power and promis of a 40 yr old language (2021) : https://www.fosslife.org/awk-power-and-promise-40-year-old-l...

Gawk: Effective AWK programming https://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/manual/

gawk-psql : pgsql extension of GNU awk : https://gawkextlib.sourceforge.net/pgsql/pgsql.html

gawkextlib : http://shouce.jb51.net/gawk/gawkextlib.html

gawk libraries for XML, PostgreSQL : https://osdn.net/projects/sfnet_gawkextlib/

psql : https://www.tutorialspoint.com/unix_commands/psql.htm

postgresql copy from program : https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62254888/using-awk-and-p...

user-defined modules to postgres : https://www.highgo.ca/2019/10/01/a-guide-to-create-user-defi...

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