PostgreSQL 8.3.1 Documentation
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# 44.51. `pg_settings`

The view `pg_settings` provides access to run-time parameters of the server. It is essentially an alternative interface to the `SHOW` and `SET` commands. It also provides access to some facts about each parameter that are not directly available from `SHOW`, such as minimum and maximum values.

Table 44-51. `pg_settings` Columns

Name | Type | Description
--- | --- | ---
`name` | `text` | Run-time configuration parameter name
`setting` | `text` | Current value of the parameter
`unit` | `text` | Implicit unit of the parameter
`category` | `text` | Logical group of the parameter
`short_desc` | `text` | A brief description of the parameter
`extra_desc` | `text` | Additional, more detailed, information about the parameter
`context` | `text` | Context required to set the parameter's value
`vartype` | `text` | Parameter type (`bool`, `integer`, `real`, or `string`)
`source` | `text` | Source of the current parameter value
`min_val` | `text` | Minimum allowed value of the parameter (NULL for non-numeric values)
`max_val` | `text` | Maximum allowed value of the parameter (NULL for non-numeric values)

The `pg_settings` view cannot be inserted into or deleted from, but it can be updated. An `UPDATE` applied to a row of `pg_settings` is equivalent to executing the SET command on that named parameter. The change only affects the value used by the current session. If an `UPDATE` is issued within a transaction that is later aborted, the effects of the `UPDATE` command disappear when the transaction is rolled back. Once the surrounding transaction is committed, the effects will persist until the end of the session, unless overridden by another `UPDATE` or `SET`.

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