To address issues like "serial4" columns and JDBC metadata mismatches when working with foreign tables, you can take the following approaches:
Explicit Column Definition: When creating a foreign table using PostgreSQL as the external database, explicitly defining column names and their data types in the
CREATE FOREIGN TABLEstatement resolves issues of unrecognized or incompatible datatypes. This ensures proper mapping within InterSystems IRIS. For example:CREATE FOREIGN TABLE Sample.Team ( TeamID BIGINT, Name VARCHAR(100) ) SERVER Sample.ExternalDB TABLE 'hospital.teams' VALUES (team_id, name);Explicitly defining columns standardizes data and avoids relying on automatic metadata extraction that might not properly interpret certain column types. However, this can be inconvenient for large numbers of tables with varying datatypes [1][2].
Alter Table Definitions: You can alter the column definitions (names or datatypes) of a foreign table after it has been created. Use the
ALTER FOREIGN TABLEstatement to modify column names or datatypes to compatible forms supported by InterSystems IRIS SQL. For example:ALTER FOREIGN TABLE Sample.Person ALTER COLUMN LastName RENAME Surname; ALTER FOREIGN TABLE Sample.Account MODIFY Amount INTEGER;This approach lets you adapt the column definitions post-creation without recreating the foreign table entirely [3].
Use of JDBC Data Wrappers: Since InterSystems SQL supports JDBC foreign data wrappers, ensure the JDBC connection is configured correctly to retrieve and interpret the metadata from the PostgreSQL database. However, mismatches in metadata interpretation might still require manual resolution using explicit column typing in foreign table creation [2].
For handling large numbers of tables with unknown problematic datatypes, manual handling via explicit column definitions and alterations can be cumbersome. Automation or scripting solutions, integrated with InterSystems IRIS, could effectively streamline the resolution of such issues in bulk [2][3].
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