Meaning of := in SQL

Question

What does the := operator mean in SQL? I am using Postgresql and I have no idea what it means. I have this code :

DECLARE
  i RECORD;
  q TEXT[];
  cfg_rec RECORD;
BEGIN
  SELECT * FROM xxx_private.function() INTO cfg_rec;
  q:=q || cfg_rec.q;

This is well documented in the manual: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/plpgsql-statements.html#PLPGSQL-STATEMENTS-ASSIGNMENT — a_horse_with_no_name, Jan 09 '15 at 11:56
Thank you! I've searched but I couldn't find anything. Thank you again! — beniaminp, Jan 09 '15 at 12:09

Mureinik · Accepted Answer · 2021-01-28T06:33:46.577

5

:= isn't an SQL operator. It's a PL/pgSQL operator (similar syntax can be found in PL1, Oracle's PL/SQL and even Pascal). Anyway, this is the assignment operator. In your case, it appends cfg_rec.q to the previous value of q (the || operator), and then assigns it back to the q variable you defined in the declare block.

edited Jan 28 '21 at 06:33

answered Jan 09 '15 at 11:56

Mureinik

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Thank you very much! Best answer! Thank you! – beniaminp Jan 09 '15 at 12:09

Meaning of := in SQL

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