Editing versioned data in PostgreSQL using SQL

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: Use your own data

You can edit versioned data in a geodatabase in PostgreSQL in two ways: by editing a named version through a versioned view or editing the DEFAULT version through a versioned view. See A quick tour of editing versioned data using SQL for a description of each editing model.

In most cases, you will use only one editing model. However, it is possible to use both models at the same site; therefore, this workflow explains how to use both so you can see how you would transition between the two. If you use only one, read the section specific to the editing model you want to use.

Editing the DEFAULT version

You can use SQL to connect to the DEFAULT version and edit a versioned view. You do not need to open an edit session. When you start editing, you are automatically connecting to the current state of the DEFAULT version.

You should commit after each edit you make to avoid blocking other users from accessing the delta tables of the table or feature class.

In the following steps, a versioned view (blic_evw) is edited. Edits made to this view write to the delta tables of the blic versioned table. Since there are only a couple of edits, they will be made in the DEFAULT version.

Steps:

1. Connect to the database from an SQL client. Be sure to connect as a user with privileges to edit the dataset and versioned view.
2. Perform the first edit to the versioned view using SQL.

   In this example, an existing row is updated to alter the property owner name.

   UPDATE blic_evw 
   SET propowner = 'C. O. Industry' 
   WHERE lic = 44977;
   

3. Commit your edit.

   COMMIT;
   

4. Do the next edit.

   A new record is added to the table through the versioned view. The table contains an ST_Geometry column (location).

   INSERT INTO blic_evw (propowner, date_entered, location)
   VALUES (
     'Moe Esposito', 
     current_date, 
     sde.ST_Point('point (0.0125662 0.0046711)', 12));
   

   Tip:

   In the INSERT statement, no object ID value is specified; the versioned view automatically gets the next available object ID and inserts it for the row.

5. Commit your edit.

   COMMIT;
   

Editing a named version

You are handed a stack of updates for the blic feature class, so you decide it would be a good idea to perform your edits in a named version.

The functions you will use to edit a named version of the geodatabase and their syntax are as follows:

Function	Purpose	Syntax and description
sde.sde_create_version	Create a named geodatabase version. If you are editing named versions (versions other than DEFAULT), always edit your own, separate version; multiple editors cannot edit the same named version using versioned views.	SELECT sde.sde_create_version ('<parent_name>', '<child_version>', <rule_code>, <access_code>, '<description>')
sde.sde_set_current_version	Set which geodatabase version and state you will access.	SELECT sde.sde_set_current_version('<child_version>');
sde.sde_edit_version	Start and end an edit session on a named version.	SELECT sde.sde_edit_version('<child_version>',<1 or 2>) Specify 1 to start the edit session. Specify 2 to end it.

The parameters in the select statements represent the following:

• <parent_version> is the version from which your version is created.
• <child_version> is the named version you create for editing.
• <name_rule> indicates whether the name specified for the version should be taken as given (2), or a unique name should be created when a duplicate name is specified (1).
• <access> is the permission level for the version: either 0 for private, 1 for public, or 2 for protected.
• <description> is a text description of the child version.

In the following steps, a named version (myedits12111) is created from DEFAULT and edits are made in that version through the blic_evw versioned view.

Steps:

1. From a SQL client, create a new version in which to perform your edits.

   SELECT sde.sde_create_version
   ('sde.DEFAULT', 'myedits12111', 2, 1, 'version for edits');
   

Text enclosed in single quotation marks is read literally. Therefore, the text you type inside the quotation marks must match the case of the text (all uppercase, all lowercase, or mixed case) as it is stored in the database.

2. Set the version for the edit session to the child version you just created.

   SELECT sde.sde_set_current_version('myedits12111');
   

3. Start an edit session by executing the sde_edit_version function and specifying 1.

   The 1 indicates an edit session should be started.

   SELECT sde.sde_edit_version('myedits12111',1);
   

4. Do a set of edits on the versioned view using SQL.

   INSERT INTO blic_evw (propowner, date_entered, location)
   VALUES (
     'V. Nay', 
     current_date, 
     sde.ST_Point('point (0.0125699 0.0046700)', 12));
   
   UPDATE blic_evw 
   SET phone1 = '555.111.2345', phone2 = '555.111.6789' 
   WHERE propowner = 'Tella Chomsky';
   
   UPDATE blic_evw
   SET exp_date = '2020-06-30 17:00:00'
   WHERE lid = 22903;
   
   UPDATE blic_evw
   SET location = sde.ST_Point('point (0.0125705 0.0046688)', 12))
   WHERE lid = 8992;
   
   INSERT INTO blic_evw 
   (codenum, propowner) 
   VALUES (456, 'Anjo Badsu');
   
   DELETE FROM blic_evw
   WHERE lid = 133;
   

5. Commit your edits.

   COMMIT;
   

More edits are made in SQL. After the next set of edits are finished, close the edit session.
6. Stop the edit session by executing the sde_edit_version function, but this time, specify 2.

   The 2 indicates the edit session should be closed.

   SELECT sde.sde_edit_version('myedits12111',2);
   

   Tip:

   You can only edit one version per edit session. For example, if you want to edit a second version (such as mynewedits), you must close the edit session on myedits12111, as shown in this step. Then you could call sde_set_current_version to point to version mynewedits and start an edit session on it by calling sde_edit_version.

Switch from editing a named version back to editing DEFAULT

If you need to go back to editing the DEFAULT version directly—for example, if your manager tells you other users at your site need to see a particular edit immediately—you can call set_default to switch back to editing the DEFAULT version. The edit you make to the DEFAULT version can be seen by other users connected to DEFAULT as soon as they refresh their client connections.

The function you will use to edit the DEFAULT version of the geodatabase and its syntax is as follows:

Function	Purpose	Syntax and description
sde.set_default	Return to editing the current state of the DEFAULT version. Call this function if you were editing a named version or a specific state of the DEFAULT version but want to go back to editing the current version of DEFAULT.	SELECT sde.set_default

Steps:

1. At the SQL prompt, run the set_default function.

   SELECT sde.set_default;
   

   The session is now set to edit the current state that the DEFAULT version references.

2. Edit the blic_evw versioned view.

   INSERT INTO blic_evw (propowner, b_name, date_entered, location)
   VALUES (
     'Ruben Gol', 
     current_date, 
     'Chez Coiffure',
     sde.ST_Point ('point (0.0125650 0.0046721)', 12));
   

3. Commit your edit.

   COMMIT;
   

   Other clients that are pointing to the same state of the DEFAULT version or any state in its lineage can refresh their connections and see the new point feature.

Reconcile and post the edits to the named version

When you have finished the edits in the named version, you must use ArcGIS to reconcile, review and resolve conflicts, and post your edits. This can be done in ArcGIS for Desktop using the Batch Reconcile Versions geoprocessing tool or a Python script. See the following topics for more information:

A quick tour of reconciling a versionReconciling a versionA quick tour of reviewing conflictsPosting changesReconcile Versions

Tip:

If the data you were editing was registered as versioned with the option to move edits to base, the edits will be moved to the base table after you reconcile and post to the DEFAULT version.

Once edits have been posted to the DEFAULT version, your named version can be deleted. The function you will use to delete the named version after you reconcile and post to the DEFAULT version of the geodatabase and its syntax is as follows:

Function	Purpose	Syntax and description
sde.sde_delete_version	Delete a geodatabase version.	SELECT sde.sde_delete_version('<child_version>');

The following example deletes myedits12111 after all edits have been reconciled and posted to the DEFAULT version:

SELECT sde.sde_delete_version('myedits12111');