Reply-To: <pgsql@yukonho.de>
From: "Stefan Becker" <stefan@yukonho.de>
To: <pgsql-sql@postgresql.org>
Subject: Is there a solution for "SELECT OR INSERT"
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:30:47 +0100
Message-ID: <000001cb8f54$4a9e3c20$dfdab460$@de>
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given a simply table table like this:

create table MyTabl 
(id serial,
 lname varchar,
 primary key (id)
)

I am trying to return the Primary-Key for a given
row regardless of the wanted row already being 
in the table.

using something like:

select coalesce 
(
  (select id from MyTabl where lname='wanted'),
  (insert into MyTabl (lname) values ('wanted') returning id)
) as id;

the above doesn't allow the insert..returning even thow
a similar select statement would be okay.
Is there a way to get the ID row OR create a new one in
ONE single statement?

my best regards and thank-you 
for your time....

Stefan