Re: How do add primary key contraint on existing table?

David Williams <djw@smooth1.demon.co.uk> wrote: :In article <3385DA3A.179B@ccm2.hf.intel.com>, Jorge Torralba <jorgex_tor :ralba@ccm2.hf.intel.com> writes :>> :but I get an ISAM error message that says it has run out of disk space. :>> : :> :> :>Keep in mind, if you alter a table Informix makes a copy of that table :>before making changes to it. If your table is very big, you just might :>not have enough room for the copy. :> : Correct - the copy gets created in the root dbspace by default. Are you realy sure of this David. Remember all he is doing is: ALTER TABLE tablename ADD CONSTRAINT PRIMARY KEY (colname) CONSTRAINT tablename_primary; In my book this doesn't create a copy of the table. It simply adds the constraint to the existing table. I may be very wrong though as I haven't ever realy checked to see what is happening. It sure shouldn't have to create a copy of the table, so I would call it a defect if it does. Even if it doesn't create a copy of the table it does create a new unique index and this may be the reason why he runs out of space. That's why I suggested that he created the index first (see earlier post in this thread). : Look in your $INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG file and change DBSPACETEMP : to be a comma separate list of dbpaces which should be used to : store temporary tables which is what the ALTER TABLE effectively : creates. E.g. : : DBSPACETEMP dbspace1,dbspace2,dbspace3 : : : Then shutdown and startup online for the change to take effect. : : :-- :David Williams Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org