[postgis-users] Interoperability : SERIAL or Explicit Sequence

[Ben Madin]

Fabrrice,

Check the PostgreSQL docs for this, but SERIAL is really just a  
convenience word when declaring a table, not a type. Thye column type  
will be integer.

If you subsequently pg_dump the table, it will dump the type as int  
with the sequence creation commands in the script.

Finally, I believe that you would want (or need) to specify SERIAL  
UNIQUE now to ensure primary key is unique.



-- 

Ben Madin
AusVet Animal Health Services
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On 23/10/2009, at 19:03, F T <oukile at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I would like to design a Postgresql / Postgis database that would be  
> the most interoperable as possible.
> The spatial tables could be used by (Select, Insert, Update, Delete) :
> - a Web GIS (Mapserver, geoserver, ...)
> - commercial clients (Geoconcept, Mapinfo, FME, ESRI)
> - Opensource clients (QGIS, GvSIG, ...).
> Great dream Isn't it? ...
>
> I know that some of these "soft" need to a numeric unique key  
> (Mapserver for example don't deal with character keys...).
> I know OID are depreciated.
>
> I think is would be a good idea to add a unique numeric key to all  
> my tables.
> What is the best way to do that?
>
>    - Add a SERIAL field (but it is PostgreSQL spécific?).
>    - Add a numeric field explicitely managed by an associated  
> sequence (it does the same but seems more opened?).
>
> So SERIAL or EXPLICIT SEQUENCE?
>
> Thanks for your responses
>
> Fabrice
>
>
>
>
>
>
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