Why Does My PostgreSQL DELETE Query Fail with 'Column Does Not Exist'?

Column Does Not Exist in PostgreSQL DELETE Query

In PostgreSQL, running a DELETE query with a "WHERE IN" clause requires special attention. A common mistake that stems from familiarity with other SQL dialects is the use of double quotes for string constants.

In the example provided, the query attempts to delete rows from the "user_job_titles" table based on a list of IDs enclosed in double quotes:

DELETE FROM user_job_titles
WHERE id IN (
"c836d018-1d12-4507-a268-a4d80d6d3f54",
"d0961a90-7d31-4c4c-9c1b-671115e3d833",
"62dda420-6e62-4017-b41d-205c0aa82ead"
);

However, double quotes have a special meaning in PostgreSQL. They are used to escape table and column names. As a result, the query fails with an error stating that the column with the name "c836d018-1d12-4507-a268-a4d80d6d3f54" does not exist.

To fix the query, replace the double quotes with single quotes for string constants:

DELETE FROM user_job_titles
WHERE id IN ('c836d018-1d12-4507-a268-a4d80d6d3f54',
             'd0961a90-7d31-4c4c-9c1b-671115e3d833',
             '62dda420-6e62-4017-b41d-205c0aa82ead'
            );

Remember, double quotes are used only to enclose table and column names in PostgreSQL, while single quotes are used for string literals. Using the correct quote type is crucial for the correct execution of SQL queries.

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