DBLINK(3) PostgreSQL 18.6 Documentation DBLINK(3) NAME dblink - executes a query in a remote database SYNOPSIS dblink(text connname, text sql [, bool fail_on_error]) returns setof record dblink(text connstr, text sql [, bool fail_on_error]) returns setof record dblink(text sql [, bool fail_on_error]) returns setof record DESCRIPTION dblink executes a query (usually a SELECT, but it can be any SQL statement that returns rows) in a remote database. When two text arguments are given, the first one is first looked up as a persistent connection's name; if found, the command is executed on that connection. If not found, the first argument is treated as a connection info string as for dblink_connect, and the indicated connection is made just for the duration of this command. ARGUMENTS connname Name of the connection to use; omit this parameter to use the unnamed connection. connstr A connection info string, as previously described for dblink_connect. sql The SQL query that you wish to execute in the remote database, for ex- ample select * from foo. fail_on_error If true (the default when omitted) then an error thrown on the remote side of the connection causes an error to also be thrown locally. If false, the remote error is locally reported as a NOTICE, and the func- tion returns no rows. RETURN VALUE The function returns the row(s) produced by the query. Since dblink can be used with any query, it is declared to return record, rather than specify- ing any particular set of columns. This means that you must specify the ex- pected set of columns in the calling query -- otherwise PostgreSQL would not know what to expect. Here is an example: SELECT * FROM dblink('dbname=mydb options=-csearch_path=', 'select proname, prosrc from pg_proc') AS t1(proname name, prosrc text) WHERE proname LIKE 'bytea%'; The "alias" part of the FROM clause must specify the column names and types that the function will return. (Specifying column names in an alias is ac- tually standard SQL syntax, but specifying column types is a PostgreSQL ex- tension.) This allows the system to understand what * should expand to, and what proname in the WHERE clause refers to, in advance of trying to execute the function. At run time, an error will be thrown if the actual query re- sult from the remote database does not have the same number of columns shown in the FROM clause. The column names need not match, however, and dblink does not insist on exact type matches either. It will succeed so long as the returned data strings are valid input for the column type de- clared in the FROM clause. NOTES A convenient way to use dblink with predetermined queries is to create a view. This allows the column type information to be buried in the view, in- stead of having to spell it out in every query. For example, CREATE VIEW myremote_pg_proc AS SELECT * FROM dblink('dbname=postgres options=-csearch_path=', 'select proname, prosrc from pg_proc') AS t1(proname name, prosrc text); SELECT * FROM myremote_pg_proc WHERE proname LIKE 'bytea%'; EXAMPLES SELECT * FROM dblink('dbname=postgres options=-csearch_path=', 'select proname, prosrc from pg_proc') AS t1(proname name, prosrc text) WHERE proname LIKE 'bytea%'; proname | prosrc ------------+------------ byteacat | byteacat byteaeq | byteaeq bytealt | bytealt byteale | byteale byteagt | byteagt byteage | byteage byteane | byteane byteacmp | byteacmp bytealike | bytealike byteanlike | byteanlike byteain | byteain byteaout | byteaout (12 rows) SELECT dblink_connect('dbname=postgres options=-csearch_path='); dblink_connect ---------------- OK (1 row) SELECT * FROM dblink('select proname, prosrc from pg_proc') AS t1(proname name, prosrc text) WHERE proname LIKE 'bytea%'; proname | prosrc ------------+------------ byteacat | byteacat byteaeq | byteaeq bytealt | bytealt byteale | byteale byteagt | byteagt byteage | byteage byteane | byteane byteacmp | byteacmp bytealike | bytealike byteanlike | byteanlike byteain | byteain byteaout | byteaout (12 rows) SELECT dblink_connect('myconn', 'dbname=regression options=-csearch_path='); dblink_connect ---------------- OK (1 row) SELECT * FROM dblink('myconn', 'select proname, prosrc from pg_proc') AS t1(proname name, prosrc text) WHERE proname LIKE 'bytea%'; proname | prosrc ------------+------------ bytearecv | bytearecv byteasend | byteasend byteale | byteale byteagt | byteagt byteage | byteage byteane | byteane byteacmp | byteacmp bytealike | bytealike byteanlike | byteanlike byteacat | byteacat byteaeq | byteaeq bytealt | bytealt byteain | byteain byteaout | byteaout (14 rows) PostgreSQL 18.6 2026 DBLINK(3)
NAME | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | ARGUMENTS | RETURN VALUE | NOTES | EXAMPLES
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