枚举类型可以使用CREATE TYPE命令创建，例如：

CREATE TYPE mood AS ENUM ('sad', 'ok', 'happy');

一旦被创建，枚举类型可以像很多其他类型一样在表和函数定义中使用：

CREATE TYPE mood AS ENUM ('sad', 'ok', 'happy');
CREATE TABLE person (
    name text,
    current_mood mood
);
INSERT INTO person VALUES ('Moe', 'happy');
SELECT * FROM person WHERE current_mood = 'happy';
 name | current_mood
------+--------------
 Moe  | happy
(1 row)

一个枚举类型的值的排序是该类型被创建时所列出的值的顺序。枚举类型的所有标准的比较操作符以及相关聚集函数都被支持。例如：

INSERT INTO person VALUES ('Larry', 'sad');
INSERT INTO person VALUES ('Curly', 'ok');
SELECT * FROM person WHERE current_mood > 'sad';
 name  | current_mood
-------+--------------
 Moe   | happy
 Curly | ok
(2 rows)

SELECT * FROM person WHERE current_mood > 'sad' ORDER BY current_mood;
 name  | current_mood
-------+--------------
 Curly | ok
 Moe   | happy
(2 rows)

SELECT name
FROM person
WHERE current_mood = (SELECT MIN(current_mood) FROM person);
 name
-------
 Larry
(1 row)

每一种枚举数据类型都是独立的并且不能和其他枚举类型相比较。看这样一个例子：

CREATE TYPE happiness AS ENUM ('happy', 'very happy', 'ecstatic');
CREATE TABLE holidays (
    num_weeks integer,
    happiness happiness
);
INSERT INTO holidays(num_weeks,happiness) VALUES (4, 'happy');
INSERT INTO holidays(num_weeks,happiness) VALUES (6, 'very happy');
INSERT INTO holidays(num_weeks,happiness) VALUES (8, 'ecstatic');
INSERT INTO holidays(num_weeks,happiness) VALUES (2, 'sad');
ERROR:  invalid input value for enum happiness: "sad"
SELECT person.name, holidays.num_weeks FROM person, holidays
  WHERE person.current_mood = holidays.happiness;
ERROR:  operator does not exist: mood = happiness

如果你确实需要做这样的事情，你可以写一个自定义的操作符或者在查询中加上显式造型：

SELECT person.name, holidays.num_weeks FROM person, holidays
  WHERE person.current_mood::text = holidays.happiness::text;
 name | num_weeks
------+-----------
 Moe  |         4
(1 row)

一个枚举值在磁盘上占据4个字节。一个枚举值的文本标签的长度受限于NAMEDATALEN设置，该设置被编译在PostgreSQL中，在标准编译下它表示最多63字节。

枚举标签是大小写敏感的，因此'happy'是不同于'HAPPY'的。标签内的空白也是有效的。

从内部枚举值到文本标签的翻译被保存在系统目录pg_enum中。可以直接查询该目录。