tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us (Tom Lane) writes:
> "Kevin Grittner" <Kevin.Grittner@wicourts.gov> writes:
>> Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Simon Riggs <simon@2ndquadrant.com> wrote:
>>>> Note that DB2 uses the table modifier VOLATILE to indicate a
>>>> table that has a widely fluctuating table size, for example a
>>>> queue table.
>
>>> the fact that DB2 uses that word to mean something entirely
>>> different is certainly a bit awkward
>
>> It would be especially awkward should someone port their DB2
>> database to PostgreSQL without noticing the semantic difference, and
>> then find their data missing.
>
> Not to mention that DB2 syntax tends to appear in the standard a few
> years later.
And the term "volatile" has well-understood connotations that are
analagous to those in DB2 in the C language and various descendants.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_variable>
I'm not sure "UNLOGGED" is perfect... If "TEMPORARY" weren't already
taken, it would be pretty good.
Other possibilities include TRANSIENT, EPHEMERAL, TRANSIENT, TENUOUS.
FLASH would be an amusing choice. "PostgreSQL 9.1, now with support for
FLASH!"
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