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From: David Lynam <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Question About Native Support for SQL:2011 Temporal Tables in PostgreSQL
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 11:23:10 +0000
Message-ID: <DB9P194MB1825E606FD1457EC909D5BD0AA582@DB9P194MB1825.EURP194.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM> (raw)

Hi Postgres Community,

I wanted to ask about support for temporal tables as defined in the SQL:2011 standard. Right now, I know that we can get similar functionality using extensions like pg_temporal, which has been really useful. But for those of us running PostgreSQL on managed platforms like AWS RDS (where adding custom extensions isn’t an option), it creates a bit of a challenge.
Here are a few questions I’d love your thoughts on:

  1.
Are there any plans or discussions about adding native support for SQL:2011 temporal tables, so we don’t need extensions?
  2.
What are the main reasons behind needing an extension for this feature? Is it tough to build directly into PostgreSQL’s core?
  3.
For those who can’t use extensions (like on AWS RDS), is it practical to build temporal table features using only RAW SQL. I'm aware of the Nearform trigger solution but I'd really love the syntactical sugar "with SYSTEM VERISON" gives? If so, are there any best practices or tips for recreating some of that extension-like functionality?

Having native temporal table support would be a huge help for users needing built-in tools for audits, historical tracking, and meeting data compliance needs. I think adding these features natively could make PostgreSQL even more powerful and flexible for different use cases.
I've been looking into https://github.com/xocolatl/periods but I can't tell if its an extension or part of the regular deployment.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and share your insights. Looking forward to hearing what you all think!

Dave

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