Invalid RawSQL expression on Model.validate_constraints

[Manuel Raynaud]

Since django 4.1, contrainst check are made during model validation.

If we are using a CheckConstraint and the check is using a RawSQL() expression, the generated SQL is invalid. The FROM clause is missing in the generated SQL leading to non existing columns errors.

In commit 667105877e6723c6985399803a364848891513cc a check is also added (models.W045) explaining that RawSQL() expression are not validated during full_clean. Reading this I understand that constraints using RawSQL() expression should be ignored and it is not the case.

Here an example to reproduce:

class Person(models.Model):
    first_name = models.CharField(
        max_length=30,
        blank=True,
        null=True,
    )
    last_name = models.CharField(
        max_length=30,
        blank=True,
        null=True,
    )

    class Meta:
        db_table = "person"
        constraints = [
            models.CheckConstraint(
                name="check",
                check=models.expressions.RawSQL(
                    "(first_name IS NULL) = (last_name IS NULL)",
                    {},
                    models.fields.BooleanField(),
                ),
            ),
        ]

person = Person()
person.full_clean()

Here the full_clean will generate this error:

Got a database error calling check() on <Q: (AND: RawSQL((first_name IS NULL) = (last_name IS NULL), {}))>: column "first_name" does not exist
LINE 1: SELECT 1 AS "_check" WHERE COALESCE((((first_name IS NULL) =...

And the generated SQL query is:

SELECT 1 AS "_check" WHERE COALESCE((((first_name IS NULL) = (last_name IS NULL))), true); args=(1, True); alias=default

[Mariusz Felisiak]

If we are using a CheckConstraint and the check is using a RawSQL() expression, the generated SQL is invalid. The FROM clause is missing in the generated SQL leading to non existing columns errors.

We are aware of that and we ​decided to leave warnings in both places, i.e. in system checks (models.W045) and a logger django.db.models. Most of RawSQL() expression "can be expressed using a proper expression that doesn't bake column references but take them as F that resolves to Col so definitely something users can act on" and fix.

[Manuel Raynaud]

ok so "it's not a bug, it's a feature"...

This new feature introduced recently is breaking code. So it's a regression. Worst it's a Breaking Change introduced in a minor version.
And moreover, this feature is adding new "hidden" and not expected sql queries. We have to take care of the N+1 query issue when we are using an ORM and here we clearly have more queries executed.

[Simon Charette]

This particular expression can be expressed as

from django.db.models.lookups import Exact, IsNull

Exact(IsNull(F("first_name")), IsNull(F("last_name")))

Or using Q via

Q(first_name__isnull=True, last_name__isnull=True) | Q(first_name__isnull=False, last_name__isnull=False)

And possibly

~(Q(first_name=None) ^ Q(last_name=None))

If you're not interested in this validation taking place, you'd prefer save attempts to crash instead with an IntegrityError, simply pass validate_constraints=False to full_clean just like you would have to disable the queries performed to validate unique constraints by passing validate_unique=False.