ALTER_SCHEMA(7pg17)

💅 ALTER SCHEMA — the ALTER_SCHEMA(7pg17) glow-up, PostgreSQL 17.11 edition

okay so bestie, welcome to the ALTER_SCHEMA page. this is the one where you change the definition of a schema — think of it as a schema makeover, not a whole new schema. ✨

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

ALTER SCHEMA name RENAME TO new_name
ALTER SCHEMA name OWNER TO { new_owner | CURRENT_ROLE | CURRENT_USER | SESSION_USER }

that's it. two moves. rename it or hand it to someone else. iconic, lowkey minimal. 🎀

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so ALTER SCHEMA changes the definition of a schema. that's the whole thing. short and sweet, fr fr. 🦋

now here's the part where you actually have to have the receipts:

• You must own the schema to use ALTER SCHEMA. no ownership, no glow-up. 💅
• To rename a schema you must also have the CREATE privilege for the database.
• To alter the owner, you must be able to SET ROLE to the new owning role, and that role must have the CREATE privilege for the database.

and yes — superusers have all these privileges automatically, so if you're the main character with superuser energy, you're chilling. 👑

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🧚 PARAMETERS 🧚

• name — the name of an existing schema. like, it has to already exist, bestie, we can't rename a vibe that isn't there. 💀
• new_name — the new name of the schema. and here's the catch: the new name cannot begin with pg_, because those names are reserved for system schemas. so pg_my_slay_schema? not happening. 🙈
• new_owner — the new owner of the schema. hand it over, it's theirs now. 🫶

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🌈 COMPATIBILITY 🌈

there is no ALTER SCHEMA statement in the SQL standard. so if someone asks "is this standard SQL?" — nope, not even a little. it's giving PostgreSQL exclusive. 😭

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• CREATE SCHEMA (CREATE_SCHEMA(7))
• DROP SCHEMA (DROP_SCHEMA(7))

the holy trinity: make it, alter it, drop it. periodt. 🔥

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⭐ lil reminder before you go: you need ownership to alter, CREATE on the database to rename, and SET ROLE + CREATE to change the owner. don't skip the vibe check on privileges or the server will simply say no. 💜

that's the whole page, bestie — you ate. 💖

this one's from the PostgreSQL 17.11 docs, dated 2026. go be iconic with your schemas. ✨🎀🦋