markdown/reference/sql/ALTER-OPERATOR-CLASS.html.md.erb

---
title: ALTER OPERATOR CLASS
---

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Changes the definition of an operator class.

## <a id="synop"></a>Synopsis

``` sql
ALTER OPERATOR CLASS <name> USING <index_method> RENAME TO <newname>

ALTER OPERATOR CLASS <name> USING <index_method> OWNER TO <newowner>
```

## <a id="desc"></a>Description

`ALTER OPERATOR CLASS` changes the definition of an operator class. 

You must own the operator class to use `ALTER OPERATOR CLASS`. To alter the owner, you must also be a direct or indirect member of the new owning role, and that role must have `CREATE` privilege on the operator class’s schema. (These restrictions enforce that altering the owner does not do anything you could not do by dropping and recreating the operator class. However, a superuser can alter ownership of any operator class anyway.)

## <a id="alteroperatorclass__section4"></a>Parameters

<dt> \<name\>   </dt>
<dd>The name (optionally schema-qualified) of an existing operator class.</dd>

<dt> \<index\_method\>   </dt>
<dd>The name of the index method this operator class is for.</dd>

<dt> \<newname\>   </dt>
<dd>The new name of the operator class.</dd>

<dt> \<newowner\>   </dt>
<dd>The new owner of the operator class</dd>

## <a id="compat"></a>Compatibility

There is no `ALTER OPERATOR` statement in the SQL standard.

## <a id="see"></a>See Also

[CREATE OPERATOR](CREATE-OPERATOR.html), [DROP OPERATOR CLASS](DROP-OPERATOR-CLASS.html)