I do not need to update, actually.
All I need to do is check if an identical record already exists and INSERT if not, else move onto the next 'candidate record' to insert.
I will have multiple CPUs all generating candidates for insertion into the table but the records must be unique.
I know Postgres will tell me if I try to create a duplicate record on a field I have set to UNIQUE, but I am not sure exactly how to check for that in Perl and make sure the script continues rather than dies.
Incorporating the 'dbh-per-thread/process' idea,
the pseudo-code would go something like:

foreach $CPU (@CPUs) {
    
    create dbh for this CPU;
    prepare_cached SELECT;
    prepare_cached INSERT;

    foreach combination { # criterion have affinity with CPU core
                          # so criterion is always unique to CPU
        generate row-data; # 
        check if row already exists; # what the SELECT sth is for
        if not then {
            insert new row; # what the INSERT sth is for
        }
    }
}
[download]

Hi again, maybe what you need is an no-op "upsert", implemented in Postgres with INSERT ON CONFLICT ?

Something like

INSERT INTO myTable (foo, bar)
VALUES ('baz', 'qux') 
ON CONFLICT (foo) 
DO NOTHING;
[download]

... where foo is your column that has a unique key constraint.

Hope this helps!



The way forward always starts with a minimal test.

Thank you for your suggestion.

I realise I probably did not explain fully enough my goal.
Let's say I have 10 columns in my table (excluding the PK).
I only want to store a data row into the table if the combination of all 10 values is a unique combination set.

Example with a 3 column table:


INSERT Row 1: A,A,A  <== OK! Value set unique
INSERT Row 2: A,D,A  <== OK! Value set unique
INSERT Row 3: D,T,G  <== OK! Value set unique
INSERT Row 4: D,A,A  <== OK! Value set unique
INSERT Row 5: A,D,A  <== COLLISION with Row 2! Set not unique; skip IN
+SERT
[download]

Thanks. I think I understand what that does, but the unique requirement is not on just one field, it is on the whole record. That is, the collection of all field values comprises a UNIQUE combination, and there must not be any other rows with that exact same combination of values.