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User-defined aggregate functions

Applies to ✅ Open Source Edition   ✅ Express Edition   ✅ Professional Edition   ✅ Enterprise Edition

Some databases support user-defined aggregate functions, which can then be used along with GROUP BY clauses or as window functions. An example for such a database is Oracle. With Oracle, you can define the following OBJECT type (the example was taken from the Oracle 11g documentation):

CREATE TYPE U_SECOND_MAX AS OBJECT
(
  MAX NUMBER, -- highest value seen so far
  SECMAX NUMBER, -- second highest value seen so far
  STATIC FUNCTION ODCIAggregateInitialize(sctx IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX) RETURN NUMBER,
  MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateIterate(self IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX, value IN NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER,
  MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateTerminate(self IN U_SECOND_MAX, returnValue OUT NUMBER, flags IN NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER,
  MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateMerge(self IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX, ctx2 IN U_SECOND_MAX) RETURN NUMBER
);

CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE BODY U_SECOND_MAX IS
STATIC FUNCTION ODCIAggregateInitialize(sctx IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX)
RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
  SCTX := U_SECOND_MAX(0, 0);
  RETURN ODCIConst.Success;
END;

MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateIterate(self IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX, value IN NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
  IF VALUE > SELF.MAX THEN
    SELF.SECMAX := SELF.MAX;
    SELF.MAX := VALUE;
  ELSIF VALUE > SELF.SECMAX THEN
    SELF.SECMAX := VALUE;
  END IF;
  RETURN ODCIConst.Success;
END;

MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateTerminate(self IN U_SECOND_MAX, returnValue OUT NUMBER, flags IN NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
  RETURNVALUE := SELF.SECMAX;
  RETURN ODCIConst.Success;
END;

MEMBER FUNCTION ODCIAggregateMerge(self IN OUT U_SECOND_MAX, ctx2 IN U_SECOND_MAX) RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
  IF CTX2.MAX > SELF.MAX THEN
    IF CTX2.SECMAX > SELF.SECMAX THEN
      SELF.SECMAX := CTX2.SECMAX;
    ELSE
      SELF.SECMAX := SELF.MAX;
    END IF;
    SELF.MAX := CTX2.MAX;
  ELSIF CTX2.MAX > SELF.SECMAX THEN
    SELF.SECMAX := CTX2.MAX;
  END IF;
  RETURN ODCIConst.Success;
END;
END;

The above OBJECT type is then available to function declarations as such:

CREATE FUNCTION SECOND_MAX (input NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER
PARALLEL_ENABLE AGGREGATE USING U_SECOND_MAX;

Using the generated aggregate function

jOOQ's code generator will detect such aggregate functions and generate them differently from regular user-defined functions. They implement the org.jooq.AggregateFunction type, as mentioned in the manual's section about aggregate functions. Here's how you can use the SECOND_MAX() aggregate function with jOOQ:

-- Get the second-latest publishing date by author
SELECT SECOND_MAX(PUBLISHED_IN)
FROM BOOK
GROUP BY AUTHOR_ID
 
// Routines.secondMax() can be static-imported
create.select(secondMax(BOOK.PUBLISHED_IN))
      .from(BOOK)
      .groupBy(BOOK.AUTHOR_ID)
      .fetch();

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