ALTER_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER(7pg17)

💅 ALTER_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER 💅

okay bestie, so this is a page straight out of the PostgreSQL 17.11 Documentation, and it's all about ALTER_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER — the glow-up command for your foreign-data wrappers ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

ALTER_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER — change the definition of a foreign-data wrapper 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER name
    [ HANDLER handler_function | NO HANDLER ]
    [ VALIDATOR validator_function | NO VALIDATOR ]
    [ OPTIONS ( [ ADD | SET | DROP ] option ['value'] [, ... ]) ]
ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER name OWNER TO { new_owner | CURRENT_ROLE | CURRENT_USER | SESSION_USER }
ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER name RENAME TO new_name

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So ALTER FOREIGN DATA_WRAPPER literally just changes the definition of a foreign-data wrapper. that's the whole vibe 💅

The first form of the command changes the support functions or the generic options of the foreign-data wrapper — and no cap, at least one clause is required or it's not doing anything for you 🫶

The second form changes the owner of the foreign-data wrapper, main character energy 👑

⚠️ okay important: only superusers can alter foreign-data wrappers. and additionally, only superusers can own foreign-data wrappers. not me gatekeeping but fr fr 💀

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🎀 PARAMETERS 🎀

• name — the name of an existing foreign-data wrapper. yep, it has to already exist bestie 🦋
• HANDLER handler_function — gives the foreign-data wrapper a brand new handler function ✨
• NO HANDLER — says the foreign-data wrapper should no longer have a handler function, bye 👋

🚨 note that foreign tables that use a foreign-data wrapper with no handler cannot be accessed. like, at all. dead 💀

• VALIDATOR validator_function — sets a shiny new validator function for the foreign-data wrapper 🌈

🙈 note that it's possible that pre-existing options of the foreign-data wrapper — or of dependent servers, user mappings, or foreign tables — are invalid according to the new validator. and PostgreSQL does not check for this. it's up to you to make sure those options are correct before using the modified foreign-data wrapper, iykyk. However, any options specified in this ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER command will be checked using the new validator 🫶

• NO VALIDATOR — says the foreign-data wrapper should no longer have a validator function. iconic, no notes 💅
• OPTIONS ( [ ADD | SET | DROP ] option ['value'] [, ... ] ) — change options for the foreign-data wrapper. ADD, SET, and DROP specify the action to be performed, and ADD is assumed if no operation is explicitly specified. also option names must be unique; names and values are also validated using the foreign data wrapper's validator function, if any ⭐
• new_owner — the user name of the new owner of the foreign-data wrapper 👑
• new_name — the new name for the foreign-data wrapper. rebrand era 🦋

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🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

change a foreign-data wrapper dbi, add option foo, drop bar:

ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER dbi OPTIONS (ADD foo '1', DROP bar);

change the foreign-data wrapper dbi validator to bob.myvalidator:

ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER dbi VALIDATOR bob.myvalidator;

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🌈 COMPATIBILITY 🌈

ALTER FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER conforms to ISO/IEC 9075-9 (SQL/MED) 💖 — except that the HANDLER, VALIDATOR, OWNER TO, and RENAME clauses are extensions. special little extras, periodt ✨

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👀 SEE ALSO 👀

• CREATE FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER (CREATE_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER(7))
• DROP FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER (DROP_FOREIGN_DATA_WRAPPER(7))

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and that's the tea bestie 🍓 this whole thing is from PostgreSQL 17.11, dated 2026, filed under ALTER FOR...A WRAPPER(7) — slay, go alter some wrappers, ily 💜🧚‍♀️