Goal This query identifies a semantic mismatch between the name and implementation of CHECK constraints (on tables, foreign tables, or domains). It targets constraints whose names suggest they validate against whitespace-only strings (e.g., names containing 'whitespace', 'space', 'blank'), but whose logic inappropriately uses the trim() function. The trim() function is a formatting tool for removing leading/trailing spaces, not a validation tool for ensuring a string is not composed entirely of whitespace. This indicates a likely implementation error, as a more robust regular expression (e.g., column !~ '^\s*$') is the correct tool for this type of validation.
Type Problem detection (Each row in the result could represent a flaw in the design)
Reliability Medium (Medium number of false-positive results)
License MIT License
Data Source INFORMATION_SCHEMA+system catalog
SQL Query
WITH checks AS (
select 
n.nspname as table_schema,
c.relname as table_name,
CASE WHEN c.relkind='r' THEN 'BASE TABLE' ELSE 'FOREIGN' END AS table_type,
a.attname as column_name,
regexp_replace(pg_get_constraintdef(o.oid),'CHECK ', '','g') AS check_clause,
'TABLE CHECK' AS check_type, 
o.conname AS constraint_name,
o.conname AS constraint_name2
from pg_constraint o inner join pg_class c on c.oid = o.conrelid
inner join pg_namespace n on o.connamespace=n.oid
INNER JOIN pg_attribute a ON a.attrelid = c.oid AND a.attnum = o.conkey[1] AND a.attisdropped = FALSE
where o.contype = 'c' 
AND cardinality(o.conkey)=1
AND c.relkind IN ('r', 'f')
UNION ALL SELECT cdu.table_schema, cdu.table_name, t.table_type, cdu.column_name, regexp_replace(cc.check_clause, 'VALUE', '(' || cdu.column_name ||')::' || lower(d.data_type)) AS check_clause, 'DOMAIN CHECK' AS check_type, 
d.domain_schema||'.'||d.domain_name || '.' || cc.constraint_name AS name, cc.constraint_name
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.column_domain_usage AS cdu INNER JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.tables AS t USING (table_schema, table_name) 
INNER JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.domain_constraints AS dc USING (domain_schema, domain_name) 
INNER JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.domains AS d USING (domain_schema, domain_name)
INNER JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.check_constraints AS cc USING (constraint_schema, constraint_name)
WHERE t.table_type IN ('BASE TABLE', 'FOREIGN') AND cc.check_clause NOT LIKE '%IS NOT NULL'  AND 
cdu.table_schema NOT IN (SELECT schema_name
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.schemata
WHERE schema_name<>'public' AND
schema_owner='postgres' AND schema_name IS NOT NULL))
SELECT table_schema, table_name, column_name,check_clause, constraint_name2 AS constraint
FROM checks
WHERE constraint_name2~'(tyhim|tühim|whitesp)'
AND check_clause~*'trim[[:space:]]*\('
ORDER BY table_schema, table_name, column_name;

Collections

This query belongs to the following collections:

NameDescription
Find problems automaticallyQueries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not .
Categories

This query is classified under the following categories:

NameDescription
CHECK constraintsQueries of this category provide information about CHECK constraints.
NamingQueries of this category provide information about the style of naming.
Result quality depends on namesQueries of this category use names (for instance, column names) to try to guess the meaning of a database object. Thus, the goodness of names determines the number of false positive and false negative results.