Re: Is it possible to default all number data to numeric type?

Pls Help Me wrote:
> My company had a old program with written by Powerbuilder. It work
> fine in MSSQL 6.5.
> Now, my boss required to use another SQL server.  Someone told me
> PostgreSQL is totally free and powerful.  I installed it in a Linux
> machine (RedHat 7 + PostgreSQL 7.1.2), and transfer the old data from
> MSSQL 6.5 server. It work fine.
> However, when I run the old program.  When I try to update some record
> with numeric type field, it show error as below.
>
> Unable to identify an operator '=' for types 'numeric' and 'float8'...
> You will have to retype this query using an explicit cast.

    Looks like the application does some

        SELECT ... WHERE some_numeric_attrib = 1234.56 ...

    The point here is, that a constant like above (1234.56) get's
    parsed into a float8 and there is no = operator  defined  for
    numeric  and  float8.   It  is  not  sufficient  to define an
    operator, because the conversion of  the  characters  1234.56
    into a float8 value looses precision, so the comparision with
    a true numeric attribute might result in false,  even  if  it
    should've been true.

> The point is the software house closed, I can't find any programmer.
> >_<
> So, I want to know is it possible to set the numeric type to default??
> Or any easy way to fix it up?

    If  the  vendor  doesn't  exist any more, I hope you have the
    sources!

    If so, you could cast the  constant  values  in  the  queries
    explicitly  to  numeric  data  type  by changing 1234.56 into
    '1234.56'::numeric.

> P.S. My English is bad, pls. forgive me.

    Compared to what some english native speakers scribble,  it's
    excellent.    And   this  mailing  list  focuses  on  solving
    PostgreSQL problems anyway. As long as we can figure out what
    someones problem is, noone will complain.


Jan

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