On Tue, 2005-11-01 at 14:22 -0800, Bob Pawley wrote: > I have created the following tables. > CREATE TABLE process > ( > process_name varchar(60) NOT NULL, > fluid_id serial NOT NULL, > fluid varchar(30) NOT NULL, > ip_op_reactor varchar(3), > source varchar(30), > destination varchar(30), > CONSTRAINT process_pk PRIMARY KEY (fluid_id) > ); > CREATE TABLE specification > ( > fluid_id int4 NOT NULL, > line_vessel_ident varchar(30), > CONSTRAINT specification_pk PRIMARY KEY (fluid_id), > CONSTRAINT specification_fluid_id_fk FOREIGN KEY (fluid_id) > REFERENCES process (fluid_id) > ); > On data entry I want the serial number generated in process.fluid_id > to be transferred to column specification.fluid_id. You need a trigger function called by a trigger. CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION process_trigger() RETURNS TRIGGER LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$ BEGIN IF TG_OP = 'INSERT' THEN INSERT INTO specification (fluid_id) VALUES (NEW.fluid_id); END IF; RETURN NULL; END;$$; CREATE TRIGGER process_fluid_id AFTER INSERT ON process FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE PROCEDURE process_trigger(); > A simple insert/select command will transfer the serial number but > entering a second row then employing an insert/select command violates > the p_k unique rule. I don't understand what you're saying at here. You probably want to add ON UPDATE CASCADE to the foreign key on specification.fluid_id, if updates are allowed to change the value of process.fluid_id. Similarly, if process records can be deleted, you probably need to specify ON DELETE CASCADE. Maybe too you want to add a reverse foreign key on process.fluid_id; if so it would have to be DEFERRABLE, so that the trigger could insert the records without causing errors. -- Oliver Elphick olly@xxxxxxxxxx Isle of Wight http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver GPG: 1024D/A54310EA 92C8 39E7 280E 3631 3F0E 1EC0 5664 7A2F A543 10EA ======================================== Do you want to know God? http://www.lfix.co.uk/knowing_god.html ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 5: don't forget to increase your free space map settings