ALTER_OPERATOR_CLASS(7pg13)

💅 ALTER OPERATOR CLASS(7) — like, the whole glow-up page 🦋

okay bestie, so this is the PostgreSQL 13.23 documentation page for ALTER OPERATOR CLASS, and we are literally about to make an operator class's whole definition get a makeover ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

ALTER OPERATOR_CLASS — change the definition of an operator class. that's it, that's the vibe 🎀

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

three separate forms, periodt. here they are, exactly as they live:

ALTER OPERATOR CLASS name USING index_method
    RENAME TO new_name

ALTER OPERATOR CLASS name USING index_method
    OWNER TO { new_owner | CURRENT_USER | SESSION_USER }

ALTER OPERATOR CLASS name USING index_method
    SET SCHEMA new_schema

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

ALTER OPERATOR CLASS changes the definition of an operator class. main character behaviour honestly 👑

now the rules, and yes you need to hear them: you must own the operator class to use ALTER OPERATOR CLASS. fr fr, no ownership no entry 🙅‍♀️

and to alter the owner? you also have to be a direct or indirect member of the new owning role, and that role has to have CREATE privilege on the operator class's schema. (these restrictions enforce that altering the owner doesn't do anything you couldn't do by dropping and recreating the operator class. so it's like, a safety rail 💀 however, a superuser can alter ownership of any operator class anyway. superusers stay winning 🌈)

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🎀 PARAMETERS 🎀

• name — the name (optionally schema-qualified) of an existing operator class. iykyk 🫶
• index_method — the name of the index method this operator class is for. like, which index method it belongs to, bestie 🔥
• new_name — the new name of the operator class. the rebrand ✨
• new_owner — the new owner of the operator class. handing over the keys 👑
• new_schema — the new schema for the operator class. moving day 🦋

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🌈 COMPATIBILITY 🌈

there is no ALTER OPERATOR CLASS statement in the SQL standard. not a single crumb. the standard simply did not serve here 😭

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

• CREATE OPERATOR CLASS (CREATE_OPERATOR_CLASS(7))
• DROP OPERATOR CLASS (DROP_OPERATOR_CLASS(7))
• ALTER OPERATOR FAMILY (ALTER_OPERATOR_FAMILY(7))

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💅 go forth and rename/own/schema-shift responsibly, bestie — and remember, every single one of these three forms needs USING index_method. no cap.

so yeah, that's the page 💜 this was PostgreSQL 13.23, dated 2025, filed under ALTER OPERATOR CLASS(7) — mwah, slay, bye 🎀🦋🌸