Received: from localhost (postgresql.org [64.49.215.8])
	by postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 14D6E475820
	for <pgsql-sql@postgresql.org>; Tue,  6 Aug 2002 12:11:06 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from beamish.nsd.ca (unknown [205.150.156.194])
	by postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B65A475813
	for <pgsql-sql@postgresql.org>; Tue,  6 Aug 2002 12:11:05 -0400 (EDT)
Received: (from smap@localhost) by beamish.nsd.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) id MAA22396;
	Tue, 6 Aug 2002 12:11:05 -0400
X-Authentication-Warning: beamish.nsd.ca: smap set sender to <jllachan@nsd.ca>
	using -f
Received: from reddog.nsd.ca(192.168.101.30) by beamish.nsd.ca via smap
	(V2.1/2.1+anti-relay+anti-spam)
	id xma022394; Tue, 6 Aug 02 12:11:01 -0400
Received: from nsd.ca (jllachan-linux.nsd.ca [192.168.101.148])
	by reddog.nsd.ca (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id MAA03881;
	Tue, 6 Aug 2002 12:11:01 -0400
Message-ID: <3D4FF733.3D6F418D@nsd.ca>
Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:20:03 -0400
From: Jean-Luc Lachance <jllachan@nsd.ca>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.77 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.4.9-31 i686)
X-Accept-Language: en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Jeff Eckermann <jeff_eckermann@yahoo.com>
Cc: John Zhang <jzhang@jimmy.harvard.edu>, pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: copy files to postgresql
References: <20020806132325.38254.qmail@web20809.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Virus-Scanned: by AMaViS new-20020517
X-Archive-Number: 200208/96
X-Sequence-Number: 8942

A much simpler solution would be to:

create a table from the original one without the missing fields;
use the copy command to import the file;
insert into the original table from the new table, supplying null for
the missing fields.

JLL

Jeff Eckermann wrote:
> 
> I believe that soon-to-be-released version 7.3 will
> have the ability to import data to specific columns,
> as you are trying to do.  For now, you will have to
> edit your input file to insert values (even if null)
> for the missing columns.  The default null
> representation expected by COPY is "\N" (backslash,
> upper case "N"), or you can specify another using the
> syntax "\copy .... with null as 'whatever'"
> 
> --- John Zhang <jzhang@jimmy.harvard.edu> wrote:
> > I was trying to copy files to columns of a
> > PostgreSQL database table using \copy
> > ( e. g. \copy mytable (column names here) from 'my
> > file' using delimiters '\t').
> > PostgreSQL does not seem to like the column names
> > part. Could someone help me
> > with that? Thanks.
> > >   Put the text of the welcome message here.
> > >
> > ---------------------------(end of
> > broadcast)---------------------------
> > TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
> >
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
> http://health.yahoo.com
> 
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate
> subscribe-nomail command to majordomo@postgresql.org so that your
> message can get through to the mailing list cleanly