SQL select * from * where txt/csv list

Question

I have a csv with a list containing certain ids that are useful to me. I wanted to make query from a table (lets call it friends) to get all the id's that are "friends" to the ids contained in the csv. I know that you can query

SELECT id,friend_id 
FROM friends 
WHERE id IN ('id1', 'id2', etc)

but the list is 300 ids and I don't want to type them all manually. is there a way to search trough a file after IN( )?

Import the .CSV into a (TEMP) table, and join with that table (or: use EXISTS() or IN() on that table.) — wildplasser
– wildplasser, Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 19:41

user4416793 · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-08 00:36:47Z

1

If my database permitted at least 300 items (and I think postgresql does) in an "IN" list, then I would use a text editor to reformat the list with single quotes and commas, and then copy and paste. Many text editors allow you to search for patterns/regular expressions, so you can do things like insert text at the beginning or end of a line, to turn it from a plain list of numbers into valid SQL. One can also format a list into a sequence of single row "insert" SQL statements.

This is not a completely general solution, and may have pitfalls if you are dealing with data more complex than simple integer IDs.

answered Jul 8, 2018 at 0:36

user4416793

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