Postgres 18 now lets you see both old and new data when you add the RETURNING clause to an UPDATE statement

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PostgreSQL 18 introduces the ability to access both OLD and NEW row values in RETURNING clauses for INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and MERGE operations. This enhancement allows developers to see previous and current data states in a single query, making it easier to detect whether an upsert operation inserted a new row or updated an existing one without relying on internal implementation details like xmax values.

Postgres 18: OLD and NEW Rows in the RETURNING...