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><H1
><A
NAME="SQL-CREATEAGGREGATE"
></A
>CREATE AGGREGATE</H1
><DIV
CLASS="REFNAMEDIV"
><A
NAME="AEN64519"
></A
><H2
>Name</H2
>CREATE AGGREGATE&nbsp;--&nbsp;define a new aggregate function</DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSYNOPSISDIV"
><A
NAME="AEN64524"
></A
><H2
>Synopsis</H2
><PRE
CLASS="SYNOPSIS"
>CREATE AGGREGATE <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
> ( <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>input_data_type</I
></TT
> [ , ... ] ) (
    SFUNC = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
>,
    STYPE = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>
    [ , FINALFUNC = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
> ]
    [ , INITCOND = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>initial_condition</I
></TT
> ]
    [ , SORTOP = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sort_operator</I
></TT
> ]
)

<SPAN
CLASS="phrase"
><SPAN
CLASS="PHRASE"
>or the old syntax</SPAN
></SPAN
>

CREATE AGGREGATE <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
> (
    BASETYPE = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>base_type</I
></TT
>,
    SFUNC = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
>,
    STYPE = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>
    [ , FINALFUNC = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
> ]
    [ , INITCOND = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>initial_condition</I
></TT
> ]
    [ , SORTOP = <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sort_operator</I
></TT
> ]
)</PRE
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN64541"
></A
><H2
>Description</H2
><P
>   <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>CREATE AGGREGATE</TT
> defines a new aggregate
   function. Some basic and commonly-used aggregate functions are
   included with the distribution; they are documented in <A
HREF="functions-aggregate.html"
>Section 9.18</A
>. If one defines new types or needs
   an aggregate function not already provided, then <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>CREATE
   AGGREGATE</TT
> can be used to provide the desired features.
  </P
><P
>   If a schema name is given (for example, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CREATE AGGREGATE
   myschema.myagg ...</TT
>) then the aggregate function is created in the
   specified schema.  Otherwise it is created in the current schema.
  </P
><P
>   An aggregate function is identified by its name and input data type(s).
   Two aggregates in the same schema can have the same name if they operate on
   different input types.  The
   name and input data type(s) of an aggregate must also be distinct from
   the name and input data type(s) of every ordinary function in the same
   schema.
  </P
><P
>   An aggregate function is made from one or two ordinary
   functions:
   a state transition function
   <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
>,
   and an optional final calculation function
   <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
>.
   These are used as follows:
</P><PRE
CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
>( internal-state, next-data-values ) ---&#62; next-internal-state
<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
>( internal-state ) ---&#62; aggregate-value</PRE
><P>
  </P
><P
>   <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>PostgreSQL</SPAN
> creates a temporary variable
   of data type <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>stype</I
></TT
>
   to hold the current internal state of the aggregate.  At each input row,
   the aggregate argument value(s) are calculated and
   the state transition function is invoked with the current state value
   and the new argument value(s) to calculate a new
   internal state value.  After all the rows have been processed,
   the final function is invoked once to calculate the aggregate's return
   value.  If there is no final function then the ending state value
   is returned as-is.
  </P
><P
>   An aggregate function can provide an initial condition,
   that is, an initial value for the internal state value.
   This is specified and stored in the database as a value of type
   <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>, but it must be a valid external representation
   of a constant of the state value data type.  If it is not supplied
   then the state value starts out null.
  </P
><P
>   If the state transition function is declared <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"strict"</SPAN
>,
   then it cannot be called with null inputs.  With such a transition
   function, aggregate execution behaves as follows.  Rows with any null input
   values are ignored (the function is not called and the previous state value
   is retained).  If the initial state value is null, then at the first row
   with all-nonnull input values, the first argument value replaces the state
   value, and the transition function is invoked at subsequent rows with
   all-nonnull input values.
   This is handy for implementing aggregates like <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>max</CODE
>.
   Note that this behavior is only available when
   <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>
   is the same as the first
   <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>input_data_type</I
></TT
>.
   When these types are different, you must supply a nonnull initial
   condition or use a nonstrict transition function.
  </P
><P
>   If the state transition function is not strict, then it will be called
   unconditionally at each input row, and must deal with null inputs
   and null transition values for itself.  This allows the aggregate
   author to have full control over the aggregate's handling of null values.
  </P
><P
>   If the final function is declared <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"strict"</SPAN
>, then it will not
   be called when the ending state value is null; instead a null result
   will be returned automatically.  (Of course this is just the normal
   behavior of strict functions.)  In any case the final function has
   the option of returning a null value.  For example, the final function for
   <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>avg</CODE
> returns null when it sees there were zero
   input rows.
  </P
><P
>   Aggregates that behave like <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MIN</CODE
> or <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MAX</CODE
> can
   sometimes be optimized by looking into an index instead of scanning every
   input row.  If this aggregate can be so optimized, indicate it by
   specifying a <I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>sort operator</I
>.  The basic requirement is that
   the aggregate must yield the first element in the sort ordering induced by
   the operator; in other words:
</P><PRE
CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
>SELECT agg(col) FROM tab;</PRE
><P>
   must be equivalent to:
</P><PRE
CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
>SELECT col FROM tab ORDER BY col USING sortop LIMIT 1;</PRE
><P>
   Further assumptions are that the aggregate ignores null inputs, and that
   it delivers a null result if and only if there were no non-null inputs.
   Ordinarily, a data type's <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>&lt;</TT
> operator is the proper sort
   operator for <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MIN</CODE
>, and <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>&gt;</TT
> is the proper sort
   operator for <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MAX</CODE
>.  Note that the optimization will never
   actually take effect unless the specified operator is the <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"less
   than"</SPAN
> or <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"greater than"</SPAN
> strategy member of a B-tree
   index operator class.
  </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN64582"
></A
><H2
>Parameters</H2
><P
></P
><DIV
CLASS="VARIABLELIST"
><DL
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the aggregate function
      to create.
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>input_data_type</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      An input data type on which this aggregate function operates.
      To create a zero-argument aggregate function, write <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>*</TT
>
      in place of the list of input data types.  (An example of such an
      aggregate is <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>count(*)</CODE
>.)
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>base_type</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      In the old syntax for <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>CREATE AGGREGATE</TT
>, the input data type
      is specified by a <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>basetype</TT
> parameter rather than being
      written next to the aggregate name.  Note that this syntax allows
      only one input parameter.  To define a zero-argument aggregate function,
      specify the <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>basetype</TT
> as
      <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>"ANY"</TT
> (not <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>*</TT
>).
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The name of the state transition function to be called for each
      input row.  For an <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>N</I
></TT
>-argument
      aggregate function, the <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sfunc</I
></TT
>
      must take <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>N</I
></TT
>+1 arguments,
      the first being of type <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
> and the rest
      matching the declared input data type(s) of the aggregate.
      The function must return a value of type <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>.  This function
      takes the current state value and the current input data value(s),
      and returns the next state value.
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The data type for the aggregate's state value.
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The name of the final function called to compute the aggregate's
      result after all input rows have been traversed.  The function
      must take a single argument of type <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>.  The return
      data type of the aggregate is defined as the return type of this
      function.  If <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>ffunc</I
></TT
>
      is not specified, then the ending state value is used as the
      aggregate's result, and the return type is <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>.
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>initial_condition</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The initial setting for the state value.  This must be a string
      constant in the form accepted for the data type <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>state_data_type</I
></TT
>.  If not
      specified, the state value starts out null.
     </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>sort_operator</I
></TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>      The associated sort operator for a <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MIN</CODE
>- or
      <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>MAX</CODE
>-like aggregate.
      This is just an operator name (possibly schema-qualified).
      The operator is assumed to have the same input data types as
      the aggregate (which must be a single-argument aggregate).
     </P
></DD
></DL
></DIV
><P
>   The parameters of <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>CREATE AGGREGATE</TT
> can be
   written in any order, not just the order illustrated above.
  </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN64645"
></A
><H2
>Examples</H2
><P
>   See <A
HREF="xaggr.html"
>Section 35.10</A
>.
  </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN64649"
></A
><H2
>Compatibility</H2
><P
>   <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>CREATE AGGREGATE</TT
> is a
   <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>PostgreSQL</SPAN
> language extension.  The SQL
   standard does not provide for user-defined aggregate functions.
  </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN64654"
></A
><H2
>See Also</H2
><A
HREF="sql-alteraggregate.html"
>ALTER AGGREGATE</A
>, <A
HREF="sql-dropaggregate.html"
>DROP AGGREGATE</A
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