CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
  SQL - Language Statements
 
 
  
   CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
  
  
   define a new operator class for indexes
  
  
 
  
   2002-07-28
  
  
CREATE OPERATOR CLASS name [ DEFAULT ] FOR TYPE data_type USING access_method AS
  {  OPERATOR strategy_number operator_id [ ( type, type ) ] [ RECHECK ]
   | FUNCTION support_number func_name ( parameter_types )
   | STORAGE storage_type
  } [, ... ]
  
  
  
   
    2002-07-28
   
   
    Inputs
   
   
    
     
      name
      
       
	The name of the operator class to be created.
	The name may be schema-qualified.
       
      
     
     
      DEFAULT>
      
       
        If present, the operator class will become the default index
	operator class for its data type.  At most one operator class
	can be the default for a specific data type and access method.
       
      
     
     
      data_type
      
       
        The column data type that this operator class is for.
       
      
     
     
      access_method
      
       
	The name of the index access method this operator class is for.
       
      
     
     
      strategy_number
      
       
        The index access method's strategy number for an operator associated
	with the operator class.
       
      
     
     
      operator_id
      
       
	The identifier (optionally schema-qualified) of an operator associated
	with the operator class.
       
      
     
     
      type
      
       
        The input data type(s) of an operator, or NONE> to
	signify a left-unary or right-unary operator.  The input data types
	may be omitted in the normal case where they are the same as the
	operator class's data type.
       
      
     
     
      RECHECK>
      
       
        If present, the index is lossy> for this operator,
	and so the tuples retrieved using the index must be rechecked
	to verify that they actually satisfy the qualification clause
	involving this operator.
       
      
     
     
      support_number
      
       
        The index access method's support procedure number for a function
	associated with the operator class.
       
      
     
     
      func_name
      
       
        The name (optionally schema-qualified) of a function that is
	an index access method support procedure for the operator class.
       
      
     
     
      parameter_types
      
       
        The parameter data type(s) of the function.
       
      
     
     
      storage_type
      
       
        The data type actually stored in the index.  Normally this is the
	same as the column data type, but some index access methods (only
	GIST at this writing) allow it to be different.  The
	STORAGE> clause must be omitted unless the index access
	method allows a different type to be used.
       
      
     
    
   
  
  
   
    2002-07-28
   
   
    Outputs
   
   
    
     
      
CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
       
      
       
	Message returned if the operator class is successfully created.
       
      
     
    
   
  
 
 
  
   2002-07-28
  
  
   Description
  
  
   CREATE OPERATOR CLASS defines a new operator class,
   name.
  
  
   An operator class defines how a particular data type can be used with
   an index.  The operator class specifies that certain operators will fill
   particular roles or strategies> for this data type and this
   access method.  The operator class also specifies the support procedures to
   be used by 
   the index access method when the operator class is selected for an
   index column.  All the operators and functions used by an operator
   class must be defined before the operator class is created.
  
  
   If a schema name is given then the operator class is created in the
   specified schema.  Otherwise it is created in the current schema (the one
   at the front of the search path; see CURRENT_SCHEMA()>).
   Two operator classes in the same schema can have the same name only if they
   are for different index access methods.
  
  
   The user who defines an operator class becomes its owner.  Presently,
   the creating user must be a superuser.  (This restriction is made because
   an erroneous operator class definition could confuse or even crash the
   server.)
  
  
   CREATE OPERATOR CLASS does not presently check
   whether the class definition includes all the operators and functions
   required by the index access method.  It is the user's
   responsibility to define a valid operator class.
  
  
    Refer to the chapter on interfacing extensions to indexes in the
    &cite-programmer; for further information.
  
  
  
   
    2002-07-28
   
   
    Notes
   
   
    Refer to
    
    to delete user-defined operator classes from a database.
   
  
 
  
 
  
   Usage
  
  
   The following example command defines a GiST index operator class
   for data type _int4> (array of int4).  See
   contrib/intarray/> for the complete example.
  
  
CREATE OPERATOR CLASS gist__int_ops
    DEFAULT FOR TYPE _int4 USING gist AS
        OPERATOR        3       &&,
        OPERATOR        6       =       RECHECK,
        OPERATOR        7       @,
        OPERATOR        8       ~,
        OPERATOR        20      @@ (_int4, query_int),
        FUNCTION        1       g_int_consistent (internal, _int4, int4),
        FUNCTION        2       g_int_union (bytea, internal),
        FUNCTION        3       g_int_compress (internal),
        FUNCTION        4       g_int_decompress (internal),
        FUNCTION        5       g_int_penalty (internal, internal, internal),
        FUNCTION        6       g_int_picksplit (internal, internal),
        FUNCTION        7       g_int_same (_int4, _int4, internal);
    
  
   The OPERATOR>, FUNCTION>, and STORAGE>
   clauses may appear in any order.
  
 
 
 
  
   Compatibility
  
  
  
   
    2002-07-28
   
   
    SQL92
   
   
    CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
    is a PostgreSQL extension.
    There is no CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
    statement in SQL92.