Chapter 7. PL/pgSQL
PL/pgSQL (Procedural Language/PostgreSQL) is a language that combines the expressive power of SQL with the more typical features of a programming language. PL/pgSQL adds control structures such as conditionals, loops, and exception handling to the SQL language. When you write a PL/pgSQL function, you can include any and all SQL commands, as well as the procedural statements added by PL/pgSQL.
Functions written in PL/pgSQL can be called from other functions. You can also define a PL/pgSQL function as a trigger. A trigger is a procedure that executes when some event occurs. For example, you might want to execute a PL/pgSQL function that fires when a new row is added to a table—that's what a trigger is for. You can define triggers ...
Get PostgreSQL now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
