Search Postgresql Archives

Re: Difference between UNIQUE constraint vs index

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

 



Informix:

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/idshelp/v10/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.sqls.doc/sqls285.htm

AFAICS, Oracle as well.

John

On 2/28/07, Tom Lane <tgl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Jim C. Nasby" <jim@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
> In some databases if you know that an index just happens to be unique
> you might gain some query performance by defining the index as unique,
> but I don't think the PostgreSQL planner is that smart.

Actually, the planner only pays attention to whether indexes are unique;
the notion of a unique constraint is outside its bounds.  In PG a unique
constraint is implemented by creating a unique index, and so there is
really not any interesting difference.

I would imagine that other DBMSes also enforce uniqueness by means of
indexes, because it'd be awful darn expensive to enforce the constraint
without one; but I'm only guessing here, not having looked.  Can anyone
point to a real system that enforces unique constraints without an
underlying index?

                        regards, tom lane



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[Index of Archives]     [Postgresql Jobs]     [Postgresql Admin]     [Postgresql Performance]     [Linux Clusters]     [PHP Home]     [PHP on Windows]     [Kernel Newbies]     [PHP Classes]     [PHP Books]     [PHP Databases]     [Postgresql & PHP]     [Yosemite]
  Powered by Linux