PostgreSQL · Delete

Delete by key, by compound key, by columns

How a delete finds its rows when you don't have the id (ArxMatch), in four scenarios: by a declared key, by a compound key on a table with no id, by columns on a table with no id and no key, and strict: exactly one row or nothing.

Set up for this page

Besides the sample itself, it uses SampleContext.cs (the dbContext every sample is given); SampleOutput.cs (Step and Show, which print), in the files below.

Before scenario 1 the sample runs this, so the service and the rows the scenarios use are there:

Set up
var service = new ArxPgDbService(connectionString, ArxSchemaCatalog.Create()
    .Table("account", ArxIdColumn.Generated<long>("id")).Key("account", "account_number")
    .Table("country", ArxIdColumn.Supplied<string>("code"))
    .Table("price_list", ArxIdColumn.NoIdColumn).Key("price_list", "region", "sku")
    .Table("activity_log", ArxIdColumn.NoIdColumn)
    .Build());

1 By a key

By a declared key: the account number.

Already in scope: service (ArxPgDbService)

C#
var account = new ArxEntity("account");
account["name"] = "Found by number";
account["account_number"] = "ACC-D401";
await service.CreateAsync(account);

var byNumber = new ArxEntity("account");
byNumber["account_number"] = "ACC-D401";

int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(byNumber, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Key("account_number") });

Console.WriteLine($"{deleted} deleted");

Check it in the database

SQL

Run it in any SQL tool connected to the database, after the code has run.

SELECT count(*)
FROM account
WHERE account_number = 'ACC-D401';

Expect: 0.

2 By a compound key

A price has no id: region and SKU together find it.

Already in scope: service (ArxPgDbService)

C#
var poland = new ArxEntity("country");
poland["code"] = "PL";
poland["name"] = "Poland";
await service.CreateAsync(poland);

foreach (var sku in new[] { "SKU-D401", "SKU-D402" })
{
    var price = new ArxEntity("price_list");
    price["region"] = "PL";
    price["sku"] = sku;
    price["unit_price"] = 3.00m;
    price["valid_from"] = new DateOnly(2026, 1, 1);
    await service.CreateAsync(price);
}

var one = new ArxEntity("price_list");
one["region"] = "PL";
one["sku"] = "SKU-D401";

int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(one, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Key("region", "sku") });

Console.WriteLine($"{deleted} deleted");

Check it in the database

SQL

Run it in any SQL tool connected to the database, after the code has run.

SELECT sku
FROM price_list
WHERE region = 'PL';

Expect: 1 row, SKU-D402.

3 By columns

The activity log has no id and no key: delete by any columns. Every matching row goes.

Already in scope: service (ArxPgDbService)

C#
foreach (var action in new[] { "test login", "test login", "test logout" })
{
    var entry = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
    entry["action"] = action;
    await service.CreateAsync(entry);
}

var logins = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
logins["action"] = "test login";

int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(logins, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Columns("action") });

Console.WriteLine($"{deleted} log entries deleted");

Check it in the database

SQL

Run it in any SQL tool connected to the database, after the code has run.

SELECT action, count(*)
FROM activity_log
WHERE action LIKE 'test log%'
GROUP BY action;

Expect: 1 row, test logout, 1.

4 Strict

Strict: RequireSingleRow refuses a delete that would remove more than one row, and deletes nothing.

Already in scope: service (ArxPgDbService)

C#
foreach (var action in new[] { "strict delete", "strict delete" })
{
    var entry = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
    entry["action"] = action;
    await service.CreateAsync(entry);
}

var entries = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
entries["action"] = "strict delete";

try
{
    await service.DeleteAsync(entries, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Columns("action"), RequireSingleRow = true });
}
catch (ArxException error) when (error.Code == ArxErrorCode.MultipleRecordsMatched)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{error.Message}");
}

Check it in the database

SQL

Run it in any SQL tool connected to the database, after the code has run.

SELECT count(*)
FROM activity_log
WHERE action = 'strict delete';

Expect: 2: nothing was deleted.

Run the complete sample

The code above comes from one program, built in a fresh project and run against the database. To run it yourself, here is every file and step.

The program, its files and how to run it

Run it locally

  1. .NET SDK: .NET SDK 10.0.100 or later 10.0.x (target net10.0).
  2. Create the project:
    Terminal
    dotnet new console -n ArxSample -f net10.0
    cd ArxSample
  3. Install the packages:
    Terminal
    dotnet add package ARX.SDK.PostgreSql --version 1.0.0-rc.1
  4. Database: a PostgreSQL 16 (tested with 16.15) database with the sample schema.
  5. Configuration: set ARX_SAMPLES_POSTGRESQL to its connection string. Nothing is hard-coded.
  6. Source code: replace Program.cs and add the 3 other files below, with the file names shown.
  7. Run it:
    Terminal
    dotnet run
  8. Expected output: below.

The files

Program.cs

Runs the sample. Generated for this page; it reads the connection string from the environment.

using ArxSamples.PostgreSql;
using ArxSamples.PostgreSql.Operations.Delete.Basics;

// The connection string comes from the environment, never from the code (see "Configure the connection").
var connectionString = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ARX_SAMPLES_POSTGRESQL")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Set the ARX_SAMPLES_POSTGRESQL environment variable to your PostgreSQL connection string.");

await new Basic3_HowToFindTheRows().RunAsync(new SampleContext(connectionString));
Basic3_HowToFindTheRows.cs

The sample, as it is in the repository.

using ARX.SDK;
using ARX.SDK.PostgreSql.Services;
using ARX.SDK.Services;

using static ArxSamples.PostgreSql.SampleOutput;

namespace ArxSamples.PostgreSql.Operations.Delete.Basics;

/// <summary>
/// How a delete finds its rows when you don't have the id (ArxMatch), in four scenarios: by a declared key, by a compound
/// key on a table with no id, by columns on a table with no id and no key, and strict: exactly one row or nothing.
/// </summary>
public sealed class Basic3_HowToFindTheRows : ISample
{
    public string Name => "delete-basics-3-how-to-find-the-rows";

    public string Title => "Delete by key, by compound key, by columns";

    public async Task RunAsync(SampleContext dbContext)
    {
        var service = new ArxPgDbService(dbContext.ConnectionString, ArxSchemaCatalog.Create()
            .Table("account", ArxIdColumn.Generated<long>("id")).Key("account", "account_number")
            .Table("country", ArxIdColumn.Supplied<string>("code"))
            .Table("price_list", ArxIdColumn.NoIdColumn).Key("price_list", "region", "sku")
            .Table("activity_log", ArxIdColumn.NoIdColumn)
            .Build());

        await Scenario1_ByADeclaredKeyAsync(service);

        await Scenario2_ByACompoundKeyAsync(service);

        await Scenario3_ByColumns_NoIdNoKeyAsync(service);

        await Scenario4_StrictExactlyOneRowAsync(service);
    }

    /// <summary>1. By a declared key: the account number.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario1_ByADeclaredKeyAsync(ArxPgDbService service)
    {
        Step("1. By a key");

        var account = new ArxEntity("account");
        account["name"] = "Found by number";
        account["account_number"] = "ACC-D401";
        await service.CreateAsync(account);

        var byNumber = new ArxEntity("account");
        byNumber["account_number"] = "ACC-D401";

        int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(byNumber, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Key("account_number") });

        Show($"{deleted} deleted");

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT count(*)
         * FROM account
         * WHERE account_number = 'ACC-D401';
         * -- Expect: 0.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }

    /// <summary>2. A price has no id: region and SKU together find it.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario2_ByACompoundKeyAsync(ArxPgDbService service)
    {
        Step("2. By a compound key");

        var poland = new ArxEntity("country");
        poland["code"] = "PL";
        poland["name"] = "Poland";
        await service.CreateAsync(poland);

        foreach (var sku in new[] { "SKU-D401", "SKU-D402" })
        {
            var price = new ArxEntity("price_list");
            price["region"] = "PL";
            price["sku"] = sku;
            price["unit_price"] = 3.00m;
            price["valid_from"] = new DateOnly(2026, 1, 1);
            await service.CreateAsync(price);
        }

        var one = new ArxEntity("price_list");
        one["region"] = "PL";
        one["sku"] = "SKU-D401";

        int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(one, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Key("region", "sku") });

        Show($"{deleted} deleted");

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT sku
         * FROM price_list
         * WHERE region = 'PL';
         * -- Expect: 1 row, SKU-D402.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }

    /// <summary>3. The activity log has no id and no key: delete by any columns. Every matching row goes.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario3_ByColumns_NoIdNoKeyAsync(ArxPgDbService service)
    {
        Step("3. By columns");

        foreach (var action in new[] { "test login", "test login", "test logout" })
        {
            var entry = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
            entry["action"] = action;
            await service.CreateAsync(entry);
        }

        var logins = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
        logins["action"] = "test login";

        int deleted = await service.DeleteAsync(logins, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Columns("action") });

        Show($"{deleted} log entries deleted");

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT action, count(*)
         * FROM activity_log
         * WHERE action LIKE 'test log%'
         * GROUP BY action;
         * -- Expect: 1 row, test logout, 1.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }

    /// <summary>4. Strict: RequireSingleRow refuses a delete that would remove more than one row, and deletes nothing.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario4_StrictExactlyOneRowAsync(ArxPgDbService service)
    {
        Step("4. Strict");

        foreach (var action in new[] { "strict delete", "strict delete" })
        {
            var entry = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
            entry["action"] = action;
            await service.CreateAsync(entry);
        }

        var entries = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
        entries["action"] = "strict delete";

        try
        {
            await service.DeleteAsync(entries, new ArxDeleteOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Columns("action"), RequireSingleRow = true });
        }
        catch (ArxException error) when (error.Code == ArxErrorCode.MultipleRecordsMatched)
        {
            Show($"{error.Message}");
        }

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT count(*)
         * FROM activity_log
         * WHERE action = 'strict delete';
         * -- Expect: 2: nothing was deleted.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }
}
SampleContext.cs

What every sample is given: the connection string (and the ISample interface the samples implement).

namespace ArxSamples.PostgreSql;

/// <summary>One documentation sample: a scenario a real application has, shown end to end.</summary>
public interface ISample
{
    /// <summary>The name to run it alone: <c>dotnet run -- &lt;name&gt;</c>.</summary>
    string Name { get; }

    /// <summary>One line on what it shows.</summary>
    string Title { get; }

    Task RunAsync(SampleContext dbContext);
}

/// <summary>
/// What a sample is given. Every sample gets the connection string; the application's service and catalog
/// (SampleContext.Application.cs) and the plain Npgsql read-back helper (SampleContext.Direct.cs) live in their own
/// files, so a sample needs only the files it uses.
/// </summary>
public sealed partial class SampleContext
{
    public SampleContext(string connectionString)
    {
        ConnectionString = connectionString;
    }

    public string ConnectionString { get; }
}
SampleOutput.cs

How the samples print: Step for each scenario, Show for what it did, ShowError for an error caught on purpose.

using ARX.SDK;

namespace ArxSamples.PostgreSql;

/// <summary>How the samples print: a numbered step for each scenario, then what it did.</summary>
public static class SampleOutput
{
    /// <summary>The start of a scenario: <c>Step("1. By the id Create returned")</c>.</summary>
    public static void Step(string text) => Console.WriteLine($"  > {text}");

    /// <summary>What the scenario did.</summary>
    public static void Show(string text) => Console.WriteLine($"      {text}");

    /// <summary>An ARX error the scenario caught on purpose.</summary>
    public static void ShowError(ArxException exception)
        => Console.WriteLine($"      caught {exception.GetType().Name}: {exception.Message}");
}

Expected output

What dotnet run printed when the sample was verified, on a freshly created sample schema. Ids differ when the tables already hold rows.

Output
  > 1. By a key
      1 deleted
  > 2. By a compound key
      1 deleted
  > 3. By columns
      2 log entries deleted
  > 4. Strict
      ARX2003 MultipleRecordsMatched: Delete on 'activity_log': 1 entities matched 2 rows, but RequireSingleRow needs exactly one each. Nothing was deleted.