From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: Paul Lambert <paul.lambert@autoledgers.com.au>
Cc: pgsql-sql <pgsql-sql@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: Quick question re foreign keys.
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:44:40 -0400
Message-ID: <21715.1193193880@sss.pgh.pa.us> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <471EA7D5.9040403@autoledgers.com.au>
References: <471EA7D5.9040403@autoledgers.com.au>
Paul Lambert <paul.lambert@autoledgers.com.au> writes:
> I have a table where one column references by foreign key a column from
> another table. However, the column in this first table does not always
> contain data which results in a not-null constraint violation when I
> attempt an insert.
> My question therefore is, is it possible to create a foreign key that is
> conditional, i.e. only enforce the foreign key where the value in that
> table is not null.
If I'm understanding you correctly, the problem is not the foreign key,
it's that you marked the column NOT NULL. A foreign key constraint by
itself will allow a NULL in the referencing column to pass. You choose
whether you want to allow that or not by separately applying a NOT NULL
constraint or not.
regards, tom lane
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To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Cc: tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us, paul.lambert@autoledgers.com.au
Subject: Re: Quick question re foreign keys.
In-Reply-To: <21715.1193193880@sss.pgh.pa.us>
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