Islamic University of Gaza

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Computer Engineering
ECOM 3422: Database Systems Abeer J. Al-Aydi &
[spring 2020] Abdallah H. Azzami
​Lab
6 [Part 1]
Functions & procedures

Functions:
As we studied in the textbook that functions and procedures allow business logic to be stored in
the database and executed from SQL statements.

PostgreSQL provides four kinds of functions:

● query language functions (functions written in SQL).
● procedural language functions (functions written in, for example, PL/pgSQL or PL/Tcl).
● internal functions.
● C-language functions.
In this lab we will study [SQL & PL/pgSQL] functions.

General syntax of creating a function:

CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] FUNCTION

​ ame​ ( [ [ ​argmode​ ] [ ​argname​ ] ​argtype​ [ { DEFAULT | = }
n
default_expr​ ] [, ...] ] )
[ RETURNS ​rettype
| RETURNS TABLE ( ​column_name​ ​column_type​ [, ...] ) ]
{ LANGUAGE ​lang_name
| WINDOW
| IMMUTABLE | STABLE | VOLATILE
| CALLED ON NULL INPUT | RETURNS NULL ON NULL INPUT | STRICT
| [ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY INVOKER | [ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY DEFINER
| COST ​execution_cost
| ROWS ​result_rows
| SET ​configuration_parameter​ { TO ​value​ | = ​value​ | FROM CURRENT }
​
| AS '​definition'
| AS '​obj_file​', '​link_symbol​'
} … [ WITH ( ​attribute​ [, ...] ) ]
 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

1) SQL functions:
SQL functions execute an arbitrary list of SQL statements, returning the result of the last query
in the list, If the last query happens to return no rows at all, the null value will be returned.

Alternatively, an SQL function can be declared to return a set, by specifying the function's return
type as SETOF ​sometype,​ or equivalently by declaring it as​ RETURNS TABLE(​columns​)​.

Any collection of commands in the SQL language can be packaged together and defined as a
function.
Besides ​SELECT ​queries, the commands can include data modification queries (​INSERT​,
UPDATE​, and ​DELETE​), as well as other SQL commands.

You cannot use transaction control commands, e.g. COMMIT, SAVEPOINT, and some
utility commands, e.g. ​VACUUM​, in SQL functions.
However, the final command must be a SELECT or have a ​RETURNING​ clause that returns
whatever is specified as the function's return type.

Alternatively, if you want to define a SQL function that performs actions but has no useful value
to return, you can define it as​ returning void​.

For example,​ this function removes rows with negative salaries from the ​emp​ table:

CREATE FUNCTION ​clean_instructor()​ RETURNS ​void ​AS ​'

DELETE FROM instructor
WHERE salary < 0;
' ​LANGUAGE SQL;

SELECT ​clean_instructor();

The function body needs to be written as a string constant, It is usually most convenient to use
dollar quoting for the string constant, but you can also use single quotation.

Arguments to the SQL function are referenced in the function body using the syntax ​$​n:​ $1
refers to the first argument, $2 to the second, and so on.
If an argument is of a ​composite type​, then the dot notation, e.g., $1.name, can be used to
access attributes of the argument.

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

SQL Functions on ​Base ​Types:

Example 1: ​write SQL function that takes instructor ID and rase, and adds that rase to his
salary, and returns the new salary.

CREATE FUNCTION ​rase_instructor​ (​varchar​, ​numeric​) RETURNS ​numeric ​AS $$

UPDATE ​instructor
SET ​salary = salary + ​$2
WHERE​ id =​ ​$1​;
SELECT ​salary ​from ​instructor w
​ here ​id =​ ​$1​;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

SELECT ​rase_instructor​('​ 63395'​, ​1000.0​);

We can also return the salary of instructor with one command, instead of using select after the
update. Using ​RETURNING

CREATE OR ​REPLACE ​FUNCTION ​rase_instructor​ (​varchar​, ​numeric​) RETURNS ​numeric ​AS

$body$
UPDATE ​instructor
SET ​salary = salary + ​$2
WHERE​ id =​ ​$1
RETURNING ​salary​;
$body$​ LANGUAGE SQL;

SELECT ​rase_instructor​('​ 63395'​, - ​1000.0​);

Example 2: ​write SQL function that takes department name and return the average salary for
that department.

CREATE FUNCTION ​avg_dep_salary​(​char​) RETURNS ​numeric ​ AS $$

SELECT ​avg​(​salary​) from ​instructor ​where ​dept_name ​= ​$1​ ;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

SELECT ​avg_dep_salary​(​'Comp. Sci.'​);

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

SQL Functions on ​Composite ​Types:

When writing functions with arguments of composite types, we must not only specify which
argument we want (as we did above with $1 and $2) but also the desired attribute (field) of that
argument.

For example, our student table which contains student data, and therefore also the name of the
composite type of each row of the table.

Functions can take and return Composite Types​.

Example 3: ​write SQL function ​search_student​ ​takes student id and returns his info.

create OR ​REPLACE ​FUNCTION ​search_student​(​char​) RETURNS ​student ​AS $$

select ​*​ from ​student ​where ​id ​= ​$1​;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

select ​search_student​(​'11111'​);

Example 4: ​write SQL function register_student which takes student info, and insert him to the
student table and returns his ID.

create OR ​REPLACE ​FUNCTION ​register_student​(​student​) RETURNS ​char ​AS $$

insert into ​student ​values(​$1​.​id​ ,​$1​.​name​ ,​$1​.​dept_name​ ,​$1​.​tot_cred​ )
RETURNING ​$1​.​id​;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

select ​register_student​(row (​'11313'​, ​'Abdallah'​,​'Comp. Sci.'​,​0​));

Also you can attach names to a function's parameters.

Example 5​: write SQL function takes instructor ID and new department name, update his old
department name, and return the department name.

CREATE FUNCTION ​update_instructor_dep​(​inst_id​ ​char​, ​new_dep_name ​char​) RETURNS ​char

AS $$
UPDATE ​instructor
SET ​dept_name ​= ​new_dep_name
WHERE ​id = inst_id
RETURNING ​dept_name​;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

select ​update_instructor_dep ​('​ 4233'​,​'Languages'​);

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

Functions can be declared with default values for some or all input arguments
CREATE FUNCTION foo(a int, b int DEFAULT 2, c int DEFAULT 3)

SQL Functions with Output Parameters

An alternative way of describing a function's results is to define it with ​output parameters.

Example 6:
CREATE FUNCTION add_em (IN x int, IN y int, OUT sum int)

SQL Functions Returning Sets

When an SQL function is declared as returning SETOF ​sometype​, the function's final query is
executed to completion, and each row it outputs is returned as an element of the result set.

Example 7:

CREATE TABLE tab (y int, z int);

INSERT INTO tab VALUES (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6), (7, 8);
-----
CREATE FUNCTION sum_n_product_with_tab (x int, OUT sum int, OUT
product int)
RETURNS SETOF record
AS $$
SELECT $1 + tab.y, $1 * tab.y FROM tab;
$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

SELECT * FROM sum_n_product_with_tab(10​);

sum | product
-----+---------
11 | 10
13 | 30
15 | 50
17 | 70

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

SQL Functions Returning TABLE

There is another way to declare a function as returning a set, which is to use the syntax
RETURNS TABLE(​columns)​

Example 8:

CREATE FUNCTION sum_n_product_with_tab (x int)

RETURNS TABLE(sum int, product int) AS $$
SELECT $1 + tab.y, $1 * tab.y FROM tab;
|$$ LANGUAGE SQL;

It is not allowed to use explicit ​OUT​ or ​INOUT​ parameters with the ​RETURNS TABLE​ notation.
You must put all the output columns in the ​TABLE​ list.

To delete function:

DROP FUNCTION [ IF EXISTS ] ​name ( [ [ ​argmode ] [ ​argname ] ​argtype [,

...] ] ) [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]

DROP FUNCTION sqrt(integer);

Labwork 1.1:

1- Write a function [more_sal_inst] that takes a department name and returns names of all
instructors that earn more than the instructors in that department.
A. using return setof
B. using return table

2- Write a function [emp_studnet] that takes the department name, number of credit hours,
salary and makes all the students in that department who finished more than the number of
credit hours as instructor with the entered salary.

3- Write a function [dep_avg_sal] that takes the department name as input, and return the
average salary for that department.
Then write another function [dep_higher_avg_sal] that uses the past function which also takes
the department name and returns all the departments which the avg salary of their instructors is
more than the avg salary for instructors for the entered department.

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

2) PL/pgSQL functions:
Functions written in PL/pgSQL are defined to the server by executing CREATE
FUNCTION commands.

CREATE FUNCTION somefunc(integer, text) RETURNS integer

AS '​function body text​'
LANGUAGE plpgsql;

PL/pgSQL is a block-structured language. The complete text of a function body must be a

block​. is defined as:

[ <<​label​>> ]
[ DECLARE
​declarations​ ]
BEGIN
​statements
END [ ​label​ ];

Example9:

CREATE FUNCTION somefunc() RETURNS integer AS $$

<< outerblock >>
DECLARE
quantity integer := 30;
BEGIN
RAISE NOTICE 'Quantity here is %', quantity; -- Prints 30
quantity := 50;
-- Create a subblock
DECLARE
quantity integer := 80;
BEGIN
RAISE NOTICE 'Quantity here is %', quantity; -- Prints
80
RAISE NOTICE 'Outer quantity here is %',
outerblock.quantity; -- Prints 50
END;

RAISE NOTICE 'Quantity here is %', quantity; -- Prints 50

RETURN quantity;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

Declarations
PL/pgSQL variables can have any SQL data type, such as integer, varchar, and char.

General syntax of a variable declaration:

name​ [ CONSTANT ] ​type​ [ COLLATE ​collation_name​ ] [ NOT NULL ] [ {

DEFAULT | := | = } ​expression​ ];

Some ​examples​:
user_id ​integer​;
quantity ​numeric(5)​;
url ​varchar​;
myrow tablename%ROWTYPE;
myfield tablename.columnname%TYPE;
arow RECORD;

Expressions
All expressions used in PL/pgSQL statements are processed using the server's main
SQL executor.

IF ​expression​ THEN ...

Example 10:
SELECT * INTO myrec FROM emp WHERE empname = myname;
IF ​NOT FOUND ​THEN
RAISE EXCEPTION 'employee % not found', myname;
END IF;

Labwork 1.2:
Write a function that take student id and return in which level he is, depending on his total
credits, [fifth >= ​120​, fourth >= ​90​, third >= ​60 ​,second >= ​30​, else first]
Then Alter student table and add another column [Level varchar].
Then right another function that uses the first function and takes the department name and for
each student in that department it inserts his level.

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 Lab 6: part 1​ | Functions & procedures

Procedure:

General syntax of creating Procedure.

CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] PROCEDURE

​name​ ( [ [ ​argmode​ ] [ ​argname​ ] ​argtype​ [ { DEFAULT | = }
default_expr​ ] [, ...] ] )
{ LANGUAGE ​lang_name
| TRANSFORM { FOR TYPE ​type_name​ } [, ... ]
| [ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY INVOKER | [ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY
DEFINER
| SET ​configuration_parameter​ { TO ​value​ | = ​value​ | FROM
CURRENT }
| AS '​definition'​
| AS '​obj_file​', '​link_symbol​'
}

Use CALL to execute a procedure.

CREATE PROCEDURE insert_data(a integer, b integer)

LANGUAGE SQL
AS $$
INSERT INTO tbl VALUES (a);
INSERT INTO tbl VALUES (b);
$$;

CALL insert_data(1, 2);

To delete procedure:
DROP PROCEDURE [ IF EXISTS ] ​name​ [ ( [ [ ​argmode​ ] [ ​argname​ ] ​argtype
[, ...] ] ) ] [, ...] [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]

DROP PROCEDURE do_db_maintenance();

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