Embedded Python UDFs

Currently, embedded Python UDFs only support pure computational logic and do not support accessing external networks or file systems. If you need to access external services or resources, you can use Python UDFs as external functions.

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Define your functions

You can create Python UDFs using the CREATE FUNCTION command. Refer to the syntax below:

CREATE FUNCTION function_name (arg_name arg_type [, ...])
    [RETURNS return_type | RETURNS TABLE (column_name column_type [, ...])]
    LANGUAGE python
    AS [$$ function_body $$ | 'function_body'];

For example, the scalar function gcd can be defined as follows:

CREATE FUNCTION gcd(a int, b int) RETURNS int LANGUAGE python AS $$
def gcd(a, b):
    while b != 0:
        a, b = b, a % b
    return a
$$;

The Python code must contain a function that has the same name as declared in the CREATE FUNCTION statement. The function’s parameters and return type must match those declared in the CREATE FUNCTION statement, otherwise, an error may occur when the function is called.

See the correspondence between SQL types and Python types in the Data type mapping.

SELECT gcd(15, 25);

-----RESULT
   5
(1 row)

For table functions, your function needs to return an iterator using the yield statement. For example, to generate a sequence from 0 to n-1:

CREATE FUNCTION series(n int) RETURNS TABLE (x int) LANGUAGE python AS $$
def series(n):
    for i in range(n):
        yield i
$$;

SELECT * FROM series(5);

-----RESULT
 0
 1
 2
 3
 4
(5 rows)

If your function returns structured types, the Python function should return an object or dictionary containing structured data. For example, to parse key-value pairs in a string, both of the following implementations work:

CREATE FUNCTION key_value(varchar) RETURNS STRUCT<key varchar, value varchar> LANGUAGE python AS $$
def key_value(s: str):
    key, value = s.split('=')
    return {'key': key, 'value': value}
$$;

CREATE FUNCTION key_value(varchar) RETURNS STRUCT<key varchar, value varchar> LANGUAGE python AS $$
class KeyValue:
    def __init__(self, key, value):
        self.key = key
        self.value = value

def key_value(s: str):
    key, value = s.split('=')
    return KeyValue(key, value)
$$;

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Define your aggregate functions

You can create aggregate functions using the CREATE AGGREGATE command. Refer to the syntax below:

CREATE AGGREGATE function_name ( argument_type [, ...] )
    RETURNS return_type
    LANGUAGE python
    AS $$ function_body $$

In the function_body, the code should define several functions to implement the aggregate function.

Required functions:

• create_state() -> state: Create a new state.
• accumulate(state, *args) -> state: Accumulate a new value into the state, returning the updated state.

Optional functions:

• finish(state) -> value: Get the result of the aggregate function. If not defined, the state is returned as the result.
• retract(state, *args) -> state: Retract a value from the state, returning the updated state. If not defined, the state can not be updated incrementally in materialized views and performance may be affected.

The following command creates an aggregate function named weighted_avg to calculate the weighted average.

create aggregate weighted_avg(value int, weight int) returns float language python as $$
def create_state():
    return (0, 0)

def accumulate(state, value, weight):
    if value is None or weight is None:
        return state
    (s, w) = state
    s += value * weight
    w += weight
    return (s, w)

def retract(state, value, weight):
    if value is None or weight is None:
        return state
    (s, w) = state
    s -= value * weight
    w -= weight
    return (s, w)

def finish(state):
    (sum, weight) = state
    if weight == 0:
        return None
    else:
        return sum / weight
$$;

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Limitations

Currently, embedded Python UDFs are only allowed to use the following standard libraries: json, decimal, re, math, datetime. Other third-party libraries are not supported. Embedded Python UDFs cannot access external resources, and the following built-in functions are also not allowed: breakpoint, exit, eval, help, input, open, print.

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Data type mapping

The following table shows the data type mapping between SQL and Python: