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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-13 13:44:03 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-13 13:44:03 +0000
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+<!--
+doc/src/sgml/ref/create_aggregate.sgml
+PostgreSQL documentation
+-->
+
+<refentry id="sql-createaggregate">
+ <indexterm zone="sql-createaggregate">
+ <primary>CREATE AGGREGATE</primary>
+ </indexterm>
+
+ <refmeta>
+ <refentrytitle>CREATE AGGREGATE</refentrytitle>
+ <manvolnum>7</manvolnum>
+ <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
+ </refmeta>
+
+ <refnamediv>
+ <refname>CREATE AGGREGATE</refname>
+ <refpurpose>define a new aggregate function</refpurpose>
+ </refnamediv>
+
+ <refsynopsisdiv>
+<synopsis>
+CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] AGGREGATE <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ( [ <replaceable class="parameter">argmode</replaceable> ] [ <replaceable class="parameter">argname</replaceable> ] <replaceable class="parameter">arg_data_type</replaceable> [ , ... ] ) (
+ SFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>,
+ STYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ [ , SSPACE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_size</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_EXTRA ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_MODIFY = { READ_ONLY | SHAREABLE | READ_WRITE } ]
+ [ , COMBINEFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , SERIALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">serialfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , DESERIALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">deserialfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , INITCOND = <replaceable class="parameter">initial_condition</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">msfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MINVFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">minvfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSTYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_type</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSSPACE = <replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_size</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">mffunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC_EXTRA ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC_MODIFY = { READ_ONLY | SHAREABLE | READ_WRITE } ]
+ [ , MINITCOND = <replaceable class="parameter">minitial_condition</replaceable> ]
+ [ , SORTOP = <replaceable class="parameter">sort_operator</replaceable> ]
+ [ , PARALLEL = { SAFE | RESTRICTED | UNSAFE } ]
+)
+
+CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] AGGREGATE <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ( [ [ <replaceable class="parameter">argmode</replaceable> ] [ <replaceable class="parameter">argname</replaceable> ] <replaceable class="parameter">arg_data_type</replaceable> [ , ... ] ]
+ ORDER BY [ <replaceable class="parameter">argmode</replaceable> ] [ <replaceable class="parameter">argname</replaceable> ] <replaceable class="parameter">arg_data_type</replaceable> [ , ... ] ) (
+ SFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>,
+ STYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ [ , SSPACE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_size</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_EXTRA ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_MODIFY = { READ_ONLY | SHAREABLE | READ_WRITE } ]
+ [ , INITCOND = <replaceable class="parameter">initial_condition</replaceable> ]
+ [ , PARALLEL = { SAFE | RESTRICTED | UNSAFE } ]
+ [ , HYPOTHETICAL ]
+)
+
+<phrase>or the old syntax</phrase>
+
+CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] AGGREGATE <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> (
+ BASETYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">base_type</replaceable>,
+ SFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>,
+ STYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ [ , SSPACE = <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_size</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_EXTRA ]
+ [ , FINALFUNC_MODIFY = { READ_ONLY | SHAREABLE | READ_WRITE } ]
+ [ , COMBINEFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , SERIALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">serialfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , DESERIALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">deserialfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , INITCOND = <replaceable class="parameter">initial_condition</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">msfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MINVFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">minvfunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSTYPE = <replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_type</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MSSPACE = <replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_size</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC = <replaceable class="parameter">mffunc</replaceable> ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC_EXTRA ]
+ [ , MFINALFUNC_MODIFY = { READ_ONLY | SHAREABLE | READ_WRITE } ]
+ [ , MINITCOND = <replaceable class="parameter">minitial_condition</replaceable> ]
+ [ , SORTOP = <replaceable class="parameter">sort_operator</replaceable> ]
+)
+</synopsis>
+ </refsynopsisdiv>
+
+ <refsect1>
+ <title>Description</title>
+
+ <para>
+ <command>CREATE AGGREGATE</command> defines a new aggregate function.
+ <command>CREATE OR REPLACE AGGREGATE</command> will either define a new
+ aggregate function or replace an existing definition. Some basic and
+ commonly-used aggregate functions are included with the distribution; they
+ are documented in <xref linkend="functions-aggregate"/>. If one defines new
+ types or needs an aggregate function not already provided, then
+ <command>CREATE AGGREGATE</command> can be used to provide the desired
+ features.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ When replacing an existing definition, the argument types, result type,
+ and number of direct arguments may not be changed. Also, the new definition
+ must be of the same kind (ordinary aggregate, ordered-set aggregate, or
+ hypothetical-set aggregate) as the old one.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If a schema name is given (for example, <literal>CREATE AGGREGATE
+ myschema.myagg ...</literal>) then the aggregate function is created in the
+ specified schema. Otherwise it is created in the current schema.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ 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.
+ This behavior is identical to overloading of ordinary function names
+ (see <xref linkend="sql-createfunction"/>).
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ A simple aggregate function is made from one or two ordinary
+ functions:
+ a state transition function
+ <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>,
+ and an optional final calculation function
+ <replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable>.
+ These are used as follows:
+<programlisting>
+<replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>( internal-state, next-data-values ) ---> next-internal-state
+<replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable>( internal-state ) ---> aggregate-value
+</programlisting>
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> creates a temporary variable
+ of data type <replaceable class="parameter">stype</replaceable>
+ 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.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ 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
+ <type>text</type>, 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.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If the state transition function is declared <quote>strict</quote>,
+ 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 each subsequent row with
+ all-nonnull input values.
+ This is handy for implementing aggregates like <function>max</function>.
+ Note that this behavior is only available when
+ <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ is the same as the first
+ <replaceable class="parameter">arg_data_type</replaceable>.
+ When these types are different, you must supply a nonnull initial
+ condition or use a nonstrict transition function.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ 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 state values for itself. This allows the aggregate
+ author to have full control over the aggregate's handling of null values.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If the final function is declared <quote>strict</quote>, 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
+ <function>avg</function> returns null when it sees there were zero
+ input rows.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Sometimes it is useful to declare the final function as taking not just
+ the state value, but extra parameters corresponding to the aggregate's
+ input values. The main reason for doing this is if the final function
+ is polymorphic and the state value's data type would be inadequate to
+ pin down the result type. These extra parameters are always passed as
+ NULL (and so the final function must not be strict when
+ the <literal>FINALFUNC_EXTRA</literal> option is used), but nonetheless they
+ are valid parameters. The final function could for example make use
+ of <function>get_fn_expr_argtype</function> to identify the actual argument type
+ in the current call.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ An aggregate can optionally support <firstterm>moving-aggregate mode</firstterm>,
+ as described in <xref linkend="xaggr-moving-aggregates"/>. This requires
+ specifying the <literal>MSFUNC</literal>, <literal>MINVFUNC</literal>,
+ and <literal>MSTYPE</literal> parameters, and optionally
+ the <literal>MSSPACE</literal>, <literal>MFINALFUNC</literal>,
+ <literal>MFINALFUNC_EXTRA</literal>, <literal>MFINALFUNC_MODIFY</literal>,
+ and <literal>MINITCOND</literal> parameters. Except for <literal>MINVFUNC</literal>,
+ these parameters work like the corresponding simple-aggregate parameters
+ without <literal>M</literal>; they define a separate implementation of the
+ aggregate that includes an inverse transition function.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The syntax with <literal>ORDER BY</literal> in the parameter list creates
+ a special type of aggregate called an <firstterm>ordered-set
+ aggregate</firstterm>; or if <literal>HYPOTHETICAL</literal> is specified, then
+ a <firstterm>hypothetical-set aggregate</firstterm> is created. These
+ aggregates operate over groups of sorted values in order-dependent ways,
+ so that specification of an input sort order is an essential part of a
+ call. Also, they can have <firstterm>direct</firstterm> arguments, which are
+ arguments that are evaluated only once per aggregation rather than once
+ per input row. Hypothetical-set aggregates are a subclass of ordered-set
+ aggregates in which some of the direct arguments are required to match,
+ in number and data types, the aggregated argument columns. This allows
+ the values of those direct arguments to be added to the collection of
+ aggregate-input rows as an additional <quote>hypothetical</quote> row.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ An aggregate can optionally support <firstterm>partial aggregation</firstterm>,
+ as described in <xref linkend="xaggr-partial-aggregates"/>.
+ This requires specifying the <literal>COMBINEFUNC</literal> parameter.
+ If the <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ is <type>internal</type>, it's usually also appropriate to provide the
+ <literal>SERIALFUNC</literal> and <literal>DESERIALFUNC</literal> parameters so that
+ parallel aggregation is possible. Note that the aggregate must also be
+ marked <literal>PARALLEL SAFE</literal> to enable parallel aggregation.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Aggregates that behave like <function>MIN</function> or <function>MAX</function> 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 <firstterm>sort operator</firstterm>. The basic requirement is that
+ the aggregate must yield the first element in the sort ordering induced by
+ the operator; in other words:
+<programlisting>
+SELECT agg(col) FROM tab;
+</programlisting>
+ must be equivalent to:
+<programlisting>
+SELECT col FROM tab ORDER BY col USING sortop LIMIT 1;
+</programlisting>
+ 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 <literal>&lt;</literal> operator is the proper sort
+ operator for <function>MIN</function>, and <literal>&gt;</literal> is the proper sort
+ operator for <function>MAX</function>. Note that the optimization will never
+ actually take effect unless the specified operator is the <quote>less
+ than</quote> or <quote>greater than</quote> strategy member of a B-tree
+ index operator class.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ To be able to create an aggregate function, you must
+ have <literal>USAGE</literal> privilege on the argument types, the state
+ type(s), and the return type, as well as <literal>EXECUTE</literal>
+ privilege on the supporting functions.
+ </para>
+ </refsect1>
+
+ <refsect1>
+ <title>Parameters</title>
+
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the aggregate function
+ to create.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">argmode</replaceable></term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The mode of an argument: <literal>IN</literal> or <literal>VARIADIC</literal>.
+ (Aggregate functions do not support <literal>OUT</literal> arguments.)
+ If omitted, the default is <literal>IN</literal>. Only the last argument
+ can be marked <literal>VARIADIC</literal>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">argname</replaceable></term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of an argument. This is currently only useful for
+ documentation purposes. If omitted, the argument has no name.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">arg_data_type</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ An input data type on which this aggregate function operates.
+ To create a zero-argument aggregate function, write <literal>*</literal>
+ in place of the list of argument specifications. (An example of such an
+ aggregate is <function>count(*)</function>.)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">base_type</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ In the old syntax for <command>CREATE AGGREGATE</command>, the input data type
+ is specified by a <literal>basetype</literal> 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
+ with this syntax, specify the <literal>basetype</literal> as
+ <literal>"ANY"</literal> (not <literal>*</literal>).
+ Ordered-set aggregates cannot be defined with the old syntax.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of the state transition function to be called for each
+ input row. For a normal <replaceable class="parameter">N</replaceable>-argument
+ aggregate function, the <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>
+ must take <replaceable class="parameter">N</replaceable>+1 arguments,
+ the first being of type <replaceable
+ class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable> and the rest
+ matching the declared input data type(s) of the aggregate.
+ The function must return a value of type <replaceable
+ class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>. This function
+ takes the current state value and the current input data value(s),
+ and returns the next state value.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ For ordered-set (including hypothetical-set) aggregates, the state
+ transition function receives only the current state value and the
+ aggregated arguments, not the direct arguments. Otherwise it is the
+ same.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The data type for the aggregate's state value.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">state_data_size</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The approximate average size (in bytes) of the aggregate's state value.
+ If this parameter is omitted or is zero, a default estimate is used
+ based on the <replaceable>state_data_type</replaceable>.
+ The planner uses this value to estimate the memory required for a
+ grouped aggregate query.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of the final function called to compute the aggregate's
+ result after all input rows have been traversed.
+ For a normal aggregate, this function
+ must take a single argument of type <replaceable
+ class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>. The return
+ data type of the aggregate is defined as the return type of this
+ function. If <replaceable class="parameter">ffunc</replaceable>
+ is not specified, then the ending state value is used as the
+ aggregate's result, and the return type is <replaceable
+ class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ For ordered-set (including hypothetical-set) aggregates, the
+ final function receives not only the final state value,
+ but also the values of all the direct arguments.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If <literal>FINALFUNC_EXTRA</literal> is specified, then in addition to the
+ final state value and any direct arguments, the final function
+ receives extra NULL values corresponding to the aggregate's regular
+ (aggregated) arguments. This is mainly useful to allow correct
+ resolution of the aggregate result type when a polymorphic aggregate
+ is being defined.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>FINALFUNC_MODIFY</literal> = { <literal>READ_ONLY</literal> | <literal>SHAREABLE</literal> | <literal>READ_WRITE</literal> }</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ This option specifies whether the final function is a pure function
+ that does not modify its arguments. <literal>READ_ONLY</literal> indicates
+ it does not; the other two values indicate that it may change the
+ transition state value. See <xref linkend="sql-createaggregate-notes"/>
+ below for more detail. The
+ default is <literal>READ_ONLY</literal>, except for ordered-set aggregates,
+ for which the default is <literal>READ_WRITE</literal>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> function
+ may optionally be specified to allow the aggregate function to support
+ partial aggregation. If provided,
+ the <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> must
+ combine two <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ values, each containing the result of aggregation over some subset of
+ the input values, to produce a
+ new <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable> that
+ represents the result of aggregating over both sets of inputs. This
+ function can be thought of as
+ an <replaceable class="parameter">sfunc</replaceable>, where instead of
+ acting upon an individual input row and adding it to the running
+ aggregate state, it adds another aggregate state to the running state.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> must be
+ declared as taking two arguments of
+ the <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable> and
+ returning a value of
+ the <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>.
+ Optionally this function may be <quote>strict</quote>. In this case the
+ function will not be called when either of the input states are null;
+ the other state will be taken as the correct result.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ For aggregate functions
+ whose <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ is <type>internal</type>,
+ the <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> must not
+ be strict. In this case
+ the <replaceable class="parameter">combinefunc</replaceable> must
+ ensure that null states are handled correctly and that the state being
+ returned is properly stored in the aggregate memory context.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">serialfunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ An aggregate function
+ whose <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>
+ is <type>internal</type> can participate in parallel aggregation only if it
+ has a <replaceable class="parameter">serialfunc</replaceable> function,
+ which must serialize the aggregate state into a <type>bytea</type> value for
+ transmission to another process. This function must take a single
+ argument of type <type>internal</type> and return type <type>bytea</type>. A
+ corresponding <replaceable class="parameter">deserialfunc</replaceable>
+ is also required.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">deserialfunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Deserialize a previously serialized aggregate state back into
+ <replaceable class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>. This
+ function must take two arguments of types <type>bytea</type>
+ and <type>internal</type>, and produce a result of type <type>internal</type>.
+ (Note: the second, <type>internal</type> argument is unused, but is required
+ for type safety reasons.)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">initial_condition</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The initial setting for the state value. This must be a string
+ constant in the form accepted for the data type <replaceable
+ class="parameter">state_data_type</replaceable>. If not
+ specified, the state value starts out null.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">msfunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of the forward state transition function to be called for each
+ input row in moving-aggregate mode. This is exactly like the regular
+ transition function, except that its first argument and result are of
+ type <replaceable>mstate_data_type</replaceable>, which might be different
+ from <replaceable>state_data_type</replaceable>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">minvfunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of the inverse state transition function to be used in
+ moving-aggregate mode. This function has the same argument and
+ result types as <replaceable>msfunc</replaceable>, but it is used to remove
+ a value from the current aggregate state, rather than add a value to
+ it. The inverse transition function must have the same strictness
+ attribute as the forward state transition function.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_type</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The data type for the aggregate's state value, when using
+ moving-aggregate mode.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">mstate_data_size</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The approximate average size (in bytes) of the aggregate's state
+ value, when using moving-aggregate mode. This works the same as
+ <replaceable>state_data_size</replaceable>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">mffunc</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The name of the final function called to compute the aggregate's
+ result after all input rows have been traversed, when using
+ moving-aggregate mode. This works the same as <replaceable>ffunc</replaceable>,
+ except that its first argument's type
+ is <replaceable>mstate_data_type</replaceable> and extra dummy arguments are
+ specified by writing <literal>MFINALFUNC_EXTRA</literal>.
+ The aggregate result type determined by <replaceable>mffunc</replaceable>
+ or <replaceable>mstate_data_type</replaceable> must match that determined by the
+ aggregate's regular implementation.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>MFINALFUNC_MODIFY</literal> = { <literal>READ_ONLY</literal> | <literal>SHAREABLE</literal> | <literal>READ_WRITE</literal> }</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ This option is like <literal>FINALFUNC_MODIFY</literal>, but it describes
+ the behavior of the moving-aggregate final function.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">minitial_condition</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The initial setting for the state value, when using moving-aggregate
+ mode. This works the same as <replaceable>initial_condition</replaceable>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><replaceable class="parameter">sort_operator</replaceable></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The associated sort operator for a <function>MIN</function>- or
+ <function>MAX</function>-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 normal aggregate).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>PARALLEL =</literal> { <literal>SAFE</literal> | <literal>RESTRICTED</literal> | <literal>UNSAFE</literal> }</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The meanings of <literal>PARALLEL SAFE</literal>, <literal>PARALLEL
+ RESTRICTED</literal>, and <literal>PARALLEL UNSAFE</literal> are the same as
+ in <link linkend="sql-createfunction"><command>CREATE FUNCTION</command></link>. An aggregate will not be
+ considered for parallelization if it is marked <literal>PARALLEL
+ UNSAFE</literal> (which is the default!) or <literal>PARALLEL RESTRICTED</literal>.
+ Note that the parallel-safety markings of the aggregate's support
+ functions are not consulted by the planner, only the marking of the
+ aggregate itself.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>HYPOTHETICAL</literal></term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ For ordered-set aggregates only, this flag specifies that the aggregate
+ arguments are to be processed according to the requirements for
+ hypothetical-set aggregates: that is, the last few direct arguments must
+ match the data types of the aggregated (<literal>WITHIN GROUP</literal>)
+ arguments. The <literal>HYPOTHETICAL</literal> flag has no effect on
+ run-time behavior, only on parse-time resolution of the data types and
+ collations of the aggregate's arguments.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+
+ <para>
+ The parameters of <command>CREATE AGGREGATE</command> can be
+ written in any order, not just the order illustrated above.
+ </para>
+ </refsect1>
+
+ <refsect1 id="sql-createaggregate-notes" xreflabel="Notes">
+ <title>Notes</title>
+
+ <para>
+ In parameters that specify support function names, you can write
+ a schema name if needed, for example <literal>SFUNC = public.sum</literal>.
+ Do not write argument types there, however &mdash; the argument types
+ of the support functions are determined from other parameters.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Ordinarily, PostgreSQL functions are expected to be true functions that
+ do not modify their input values. However, an aggregate transition
+ function, <emphasis>when used in the context of an aggregate</emphasis>,
+ is allowed to cheat and modify its transition-state argument in place.
+ This can provide substantial performance benefits compared to making
+ a fresh copy of the transition state each time.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Likewise, while an aggregate final function is normally expected not to
+ modify its input values, sometimes it is impractical to avoid modifying
+ the transition-state argument. Such behavior must be declared using
+ the <literal>FINALFUNC_MODIFY</literal> parameter.
+ The <literal>READ_WRITE</literal>
+ value indicates that the final function modifies the transition state in
+ unspecified ways. This value prevents use of the aggregate as a window
+ function, and it also prevents merging of transition states for aggregate
+ calls that share the same input values and transition functions.
+ The <literal>SHAREABLE</literal> value indicates that the transition function
+ cannot be applied after the final function, but multiple final-function
+ calls can be performed on the ending transition state value. This value
+ prevents use of the aggregate as a window function, but it allows merging
+ of transition states. (That is, the optimization of interest here is not
+ applying the same final function repeatedly, but applying different final
+ functions to the same ending transition state value. This is allowed as
+ long as none of the final functions are marked <literal>READ_WRITE</literal>.)
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If an aggregate supports moving-aggregate mode, it will improve
+ calculation efficiency when the aggregate is used as a window function
+ for a window with moving frame start (that is, a frame start mode other
+ than <literal>UNBOUNDED PRECEDING</literal>). Conceptually, the forward
+ transition function adds input values to the aggregate's state when
+ they enter the window frame from the bottom, and the inverse transition
+ function removes them again when they leave the frame at the top. So,
+ when values are removed, they are always removed in the same order they
+ were added. Whenever the inverse transition function is invoked, it will
+ thus receive the earliest added but not yet removed argument value(s).
+ The inverse transition function can assume that at least one row will
+ remain in the current state after it removes the oldest row. (When this
+ would not be the case, the window function mechanism simply starts a
+ fresh aggregation, rather than using the inverse transition function.)
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The forward transition function for moving-aggregate mode is not
+ allowed to return NULL as the new state value. If the inverse
+ transition function returns NULL, this is taken as an indication that
+ the inverse function cannot reverse the state calculation for this
+ particular input, and so the aggregate calculation will be redone from
+ scratch for the current frame starting position. This convention
+ allows moving-aggregate mode to be used in situations where there are
+ some infrequent cases that are impractical to reverse out of the
+ running state value.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If no moving-aggregate implementation is supplied,
+ the aggregate can still be used with moving frames,
+ but <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> will recompute the whole
+ aggregation whenever the start of the frame moves.
+ Note that whether or not the aggregate supports moving-aggregate
+ mode, <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> can handle a moving frame
+ end without recalculation; this is done by continuing to add new values
+ to the aggregate's state. This is why use of an aggregate as a window
+ function requires that the final function be read-only: it must
+ not damage the aggregate's state value, so that the aggregation can be
+ continued even after an aggregate result value has been obtained for
+ one set of frame boundaries.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The syntax for ordered-set aggregates allows <literal>VARIADIC</literal>
+ to be specified for both the last direct parameter and the last
+ aggregated (<literal>WITHIN GROUP</literal>) parameter. However, the
+ current implementation restricts use of <literal>VARIADIC</literal>
+ in two ways. First, ordered-set aggregates can only use
+ <literal>VARIADIC "any"</literal>, not other variadic array types.
+ Second, if the last direct parameter is <literal>VARIADIC "any"</literal>,
+ then there can be only one aggregated parameter and it must also
+ be <literal>VARIADIC "any"</literal>. (In the representation used in the
+ system catalogs, these two parameters are merged into a single
+ <literal>VARIADIC "any"</literal> item, since <structname>pg_proc</structname> cannot
+ represent functions with more than one <literal>VARIADIC</literal> parameter.)
+ If the aggregate is a hypothetical-set aggregate, the direct arguments
+ that match the <literal>VARIADIC "any"</literal> parameter are the hypothetical
+ ones; any preceding parameters represent additional direct arguments
+ that are not constrained to match the aggregated arguments.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Currently, ordered-set aggregates do not need to support
+ moving-aggregate mode, since they cannot be used as window functions.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Partial (including parallel) aggregation is currently not supported for
+ ordered-set aggregates. Also, it will never be used for aggregate calls
+ that include <literal>DISTINCT</literal> or <literal>ORDER BY</literal> clauses, since
+ those semantics cannot be supported during partial aggregation.
+ </para>
+ </refsect1>
+
+ <refsect1>
+ <title>Examples</title>
+
+ <para>
+ See <xref linkend="xaggr"/>.
+ </para>
+ </refsect1>
+
+ <refsect1>
+ <title>Compatibility</title>
+
+ <para>
+ <command>CREATE AGGREGATE</command> is a
+ <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> language extension. The SQL
+ standard does not provide for user-defined aggregate functions.
+ </para>
+ </refsect1>
+
+ <refsect1>
+ <title>See Also</title>
+
+ <simplelist type="inline">
+ <member><xref linkend="sql-alteraggregate"/></member>
+ <member><xref linkend="sql-dropaggregate"/></member>
+ </simplelist>
+ </refsect1>
+</refentry>