How to Register Trigger In Postgresql?

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In PostgreSQL, you can register a trigger by using the CREATE TRIGGER statement. This statement allows you to define a trigger that will be fired when a specified event occurs on a specified table. The syntax for creating a trigger is as follows:


CREATE TRIGGER trigger_name BEFORE/AFTER INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE ON table_name FOR EACH ROW WHEN condition EXECUTE FUNCTION function_name();


In this syntax:

  • trigger_name is the name of the trigger you want to create
  • BEFORE/AFTER specifies whether the trigger should fire before or after the specified event
  • INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE specifies the event that will trigger the trigger
  • table_name is the name of the table on which the trigger will be registered
  • FOR EACH ROW specifies that the trigger will be fired for each row affected by the event
  • WHEN condition is an optional condition that, if provided, must evaluate to true for the trigger to fire
  • EXECUTE FUNCTION function_name specifies the function that will be executed when the trigger fires


After creating the trigger, you can activate it using the ENABLE TRIGGER statement and deactivate it using the DISABLE TRIGGER statement. Triggers are important in PostgreSQL as they allow you to create automated responses to database events and enforce data integrity constraints.


What is the significance of the FOR EACH ROW clause in a trigger in PostgreSQL?

The FOR EACH ROW clause in a trigger in PostgreSQL specifies that the trigger should be fired for each row that is affected by the triggering event. This means that the trigger will be executed individually for each row that is inserted, updated, or deleted in the table, allowing the trigger to perform specific actions on each row. This can be useful for implementing complex business logic that needs to be applied to each row individually.


How to register a trigger on a specific column in a table in PostgreSQL?

To register a trigger on a specific column in a table in PostgreSQL, you can use the following steps:

  1. Create a trigger function that will be executed when the trigger is fired:
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CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION trigger_function()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
BEGIN
  -- Do something when the trigger is fired
  RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;


  1. Create a trigger on the specific column in the table that will execute the trigger function when certain condition is met:
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CREATE TRIGGER trigger_name
BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE OF column_name ON table_name
FOR EACH ROW
EXECUTE FUNCTION trigger_function();


Replace trigger_name with the desired name for the trigger, column_name with the name of the column you want to trigger on, and table_name with the name of the table you want to add the trigger to.

  1. Optionally, you can add additional conditions for when the trigger should be fired by adding a WHEN clause to the trigger definition:
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CREATE TRIGGER trigger_name
BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE OF column_name ON table_name
FOR EACH ROW
WHEN (NEW.column_name > 100)
EXECUTE FUNCTION trigger_function();


This will ensure that the trigger is only fired when the specified condition is met.

  1. Finally, you can check that the trigger has been created successfully by querying the pg_trigger system catalog:
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SELECT * FROM pg_trigger WHERE tgname = 'trigger_name';


This will display information about the trigger, including the table it is attached to and the condition that triggers it.


That's it! You have now successfully registered a trigger on a specific column in a table in PostgreSQL.


What is the scope of trigger execution in PostgreSQL?

In PostgreSQL, triggers can be defined to execute either before or after a specified event on a table, such as an insert, update, or delete operation. Additionally, triggers can be defined to execute at the statement or row level.


The scope of trigger execution in PostgreSQL can be defined as:

  1. Before triggers: These triggers are executed before the specified event on the table. They can be defined to execute at the statement or row level.
  2. After triggers: These triggers are executed after the specified event on the table. They can also be defined to execute at the statement or row level.
  3. For each row triggers: These triggers are executed once for each row that is affected by the event, such as an insert, update, or delete operation.
  4. For each statement triggers: These triggers are executed once for each statement that affects the table.


The scope of trigger execution allows for flexibility in defining when and how triggers should be executed, making them a powerful tool for enforcing data integrity, implementing complex business logic, and auditing changes to database tables in PostgreSQL.


What is the syntax for creating a trigger in PostgreSQL?

The syntax for creating a trigger in PostgreSQL is as follows:

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CREATE [ CONSTRAINT ] TRIGGER trigger_name
    { BEFORE | AFTER } { event(s) }
    ON table_name
    [ FOR [ EACH ] { ROW | STATEMENT } ]
    [ WHEN ( condition ) ]
    EXECUTE FUNCTION function_name()


Here is a breakdown of each component of the syntax:

  • CREATE TRIGGER: This specifies that a new trigger is being created.
  • trigger_name: The name of the trigger being created.
  • { BEFORE | AFTER } { event(s) }: Specifies whether the trigger should fire before or after the specified event(s) (e.g., INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE).
  • ON table_name: Specifies the name of the table on which the trigger is being created.
  • [ FOR [ EACH ] { ROW | STATEMENT } ]: Specifies whether the trigger should be fired for each row affected by the event or for the entire statement.
  • [ WHEN ( condition ) ]: Specifies an optional condition that must be met in order for the trigger to be fired.
  • EXECUTE FUNCTION function_name(): Specifies the function that should be executed when the trigger is fired.
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