Select datatype of the field in postgres

Understanding Data Types in Postgres 📊

So you're working with PostgreSQL and you need to find out the datatype of a specific field in a table? Don't worry, I got your back! In this blog post, we'll address this common issue and provide you with easy solutions. Let's dive in! 💪

The Context 🤔

Let's say you have a table called student_details with three fields: stu_id (integer), stu_name (varchar(30)), and joined_date (timestamp). You want to know the datatype of the stu_name field. How would you do it? 🤷‍♂️

Solution #1: Using the pg_typeof() Function 📝

One way to tackle this problem is by using the pg_typeof() function. This function returns the datatype of an expression. In our case, we can use it to get the datatype of the stu_name field. Here's an example query:

SELECT pg_typeof(stu_name) AS data_type
FROM student_details;

This query will give you the datatype of the stu_name field as a result. Easy, right? 😎

Solution #2: Querying the information_schema Catalog 📚

Another approach involves querying the information_schema catalog, which provides metadata about all tables in your PostgreSQL database. By filtering the catalog based on the table name and column name, you can find the datatype of a specific field.

Here's an example query for our scenario:

SELECT data_type
FROM information_schema.columns
WHERE table_name = 'student_details'
  AND column_name = 'stu_name';

This query will give you the datatype of the stu_name field in the student_details table. Awesome, right? 🎉

Conclusion and Call-to-Action ✅

Congratulations! Now you know two easy ways to get the datatype of a specific field in PostgreSQL. Whether you prefer using the pg_typeof() function or querying the information_schema catalog, these solutions have got you covered. 🙌

So go ahead, try them out and let me know which solution worked best for you in the comments section below. If you have any other questions or suggestions, I'd be more than happy to help! Happy coding! 😊👩‍💻👨‍💻