Computed / calculated / virtual / derived columns in PostgreSQL

Question

Does PostgreSQL support computed / calculated columns, like MS SQL Server? I can\'t find anything in the docs, but as this feature is included in many other DBMSs I thought

Answer 1

PostgreSQL 12 supports generated columns:

PostgreSQL 12 Beta 1 Released!

Generated Columns

PostgreSQL 12 allows the creation of generated columns that compute their values with an expression using the contents of other columns. This feature provides stored generated columns, which are computed on inserts and updates and are saved on disk. Virtual generated columns, which are computed only when a column is read as part of a query, are not implemented yet.

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Generated Columns

A generated column is a special column that is always computed from other columns. Thus, it is for columns what a view is for tables.

CREATE TABLE people (
    ...,
    height_cm numeric,
    height_in numeric GENERATED ALWAYS AS (height_cm * 2.54) STORED
);

db<>fiddle demo