The PostgreSQL 9.0 Reference Manual - Volume 1B

The PostgreSQL 9.0 Reference Manual - Volume 1B - SQL Command Reference
by The PostgreSQL Global Development Group
Paperback (6"x9"), 488 pages
ISBN 9781906966058
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PostgreSQL 9.0 Reference Manual
Volume 1B

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1.46 CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER

Name

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER -- define a new foreign-data wrapper

Synopsis

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER name
    [ VALIDATOR valfunction | NO VALIDATOR ]
    [ OPTIONS ( option 'value' [, ... ] ) ]

Description

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER creates a new foreign-data wrapper. The user who defines a foreign-data wrapper becomes its owner.

The foreign-data wrapper name must be unique within the database.

Only superusers can create foreign-data wrappers.

Parameters

name: The name of the foreign-data wrapper to be created.
VALIDATOR valfunction: valfunction is the name of a previously registered function that will be called to check the generic options given to the foreign-data wrapper, as well as to foreign servers and user mappings using the foreign-data wrapper. If no validator function or NO VALIDATOR is specified, then options will not be checked at creation time. (Foreign-data wrappers will possibly ignore or reject invalid option specifications at run time, depending on the implementation.) The validator function must take two arguments: one of type text[], which will contain the array of options as stored in the system catalogs, and one of type oid, which will be the OID of the system catalog containing the options. The return type is ignored; the function should indicate invalid options using the ereport() function.
OPTIONS ( option 'value' [, ... ] ): This clause specifies options for the new foreign-data wrapper. The allowed option names and values are specific to each foreign data wrapper and are validated using the foreign-data wrapper library. Option names must be unique.

Notes

At the moment, the foreign-data wrapper functionality is very rudimentary. The purpose of foreign-data wrappers, foreign servers, and user mappings is to store this information in a standard way so that it can be queried by interested applications. One such application is dblink; see dblink. The functionality to actually query external data through a foreign-data wrapper library does not exist yet.

There is currently one foreign-data wrapper validator function provided: ‘postgresql_fdw_validator’, which accepts options corresponding to libpq connection parameters.

Examples

Create a foreign-data wrapper dummy:

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER dummy;

Create a foreign-data wrapper postgresql with validator function postgresql_fdw_validator:

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER postgresql VALIDATOR 
  postgresql_fdw_validator;

Create a foreign-data wrapper mywrapper with some options:

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER mywrapper
    OPTIONS (debug 'true');

Compatibility

CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER conforms to ISO/IEC 9075-9 (SQL/MED), with the exception that the VALIDATOR clause is an extension and the clauses LIBRARY and LANGUAGE are not yet implemented in PostgreSQL.

Note, however, that the SQL/MED functionality as a whole is not yet conforming.