Re: Ragged CSV import

Andrew Dunstan <andrew@dunslane.net> writes:
> I have received a requirement for the ability to import ragged CSV 
> files, i.e. files that contain variable numbers of columns per row. The 
> requirement is that extra columns would be ignored and missing columns 
> filled with NULL. The client wanting this has wrestled with some 
> preprocessors to try to get what they want, but they would feel happier 
> with this built in. This isn't the first time I have received this 
> request since we implemented CSV import. People have complained on 
> numerous occasions about the strictness of the import routines w.r.t. 
> the number of columns.

Hmm.  Accepting too few columns and filling with nulls isn't any
different than what INSERT has always done.  But ignoring extra columns
seems like a different ballgame.  Can you talk your client out of that
one?  It just seems like a bad idea.

As for the "numerous occasions", maybe I've not been paying attention,
but I don't recall any ...
        regards, tom lane