diff --git a/src/backend/access/heap/tuptoaster.c b/src/backend/access/heap/tuptoaster.c
index 49f1553..613040a 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/heap/tuptoaster.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/heap/tuptoaster.c
@@ -44,9 +44,6 @@
 
 #undef TOAST_DEBUG
 
-/* Size of an EXTERNAL datum that contains a standard TOAST pointer */
-#define TOAST_POINTER_SIZE (VARHDRSZ_EXTERNAL + sizeof(struct varatt_external))
-
 /*
  * Testing whether an externally-stored value is compressed now requires
  * comparing extsize (the actual length of the external data) to rawsize
@@ -191,7 +188,7 @@ heap_tuple_untoast_attr_slice(struct varlena * attr,
 	char	   *attrdata;
 	int32		attrsize;
 
-	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(attr))
+	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(attr))
 	{
 		struct varatt_external toast_pointer;
 
@@ -204,6 +201,13 @@ heap_tuple_untoast_attr_slice(struct varlena * attr,
 		/* fetch it back (compressed marker will get set automatically) */
 		preslice = toast_fetch_datum(attr);
 	}
+	else if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(attr))
+	{
+		struct varatt_indirect redirect;
+		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(redirect, attr);
+		return heap_tuple_untoast_attr_slice(redirect.pointer,
+											 sliceoffset, slicelength);
+	}
 	else
 		preslice = attr;
 
@@ -267,7 +271,7 @@ toast_raw_datum_size(Datum value)
 	struct varlena *attr = (struct varlena *) DatumGetPointer(value);
 	Size		result;
 
-	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(attr))
+	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(attr))
 	{
 		/* va_rawsize is the size of the original datum -- including header */
 		struct varatt_external toast_pointer;
@@ -275,6 +279,13 @@ toast_raw_datum_size(Datum value)
 		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
 		result = toast_pointer.va_rawsize;
 	}
+	else if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(attr))
+	{
+		struct varatt_indirect toast_pointer;
+
+		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
+		return toast_raw_datum_size(PointerGetDatum(toast_pointer.pointer));
+	}
 	else if (VARATT_IS_COMPRESSED(attr))
 	{
 		/* here, va_rawsize is just the payload size */
@@ -308,7 +319,7 @@ toast_datum_size(Datum value)
 	struct varlena *attr = (struct varlena *) DatumGetPointer(value);
 	Size		result;
 
-	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(attr))
+	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(attr))
 	{
 		/*
 		 * Attribute is stored externally - return the extsize whether
@@ -320,6 +331,13 @@ toast_datum_size(Datum value)
 		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
 		result = toast_pointer.va_extsize;
 	}
+	else if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(attr))
+	{
+		struct varatt_indirect toast_pointer;
+
+		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
+		return toast_datum_size(PointerGetDatum(toast_pointer.pointer));
+	}
 	else if (VARATT_IS_SHORT(attr))
 	{
 		result = VARSIZE_SHORT(attr);
@@ -386,12 +404,56 @@ toast_delete(Relation rel, HeapTuple oldtup)
 		{
 			Datum		value = toast_values[i];
 
-			if (!toast_isnull[i] && VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(PointerGetDatum(value)))
+			if (toast_isnull[i])
+				continue;
+			else if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(PointerGetDatum(value)))
 				toast_delete_datum(rel, value);
+			else if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(PointerGetDatum(value)))
+				elog(ERROR, "cannot delete tuples with indirect toast tuples for now");
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+/* ----------
+ * toast_datum_differs -
+ *
+ *  Determine whether two toasted datums are the same and don't have to be
+ *  stored again.
+ * ----------
+ */
+static bool
+toast_datum_differs(struct varlena *old_value, struct varlena *new_value)
+{
+	Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(old_value));
+	Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(new_value));
+
+	/* fast path for the common case where we have the toast oid available */
+	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(old_value) &&
+		VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(new_value))
+		return memcmp((char *) old_value, (char *) new_value,
+					  VARSIZE_EXTERNAL(old_value)) == 0;
+
+	/*
+	 * compare size of tuples, so we don't uselessly detoast/decompress tuples
+	 * if they can't be the same anyway.
+	 */
+	if (toast_raw_datum_size(PointerGetDatum(old_value)) !=
+		toast_raw_datum_size(PointerGetDatum(new_value)))
+		return false;
+
+	old_value = heap_tuple_untoast_attr(old_value);
+	new_value = heap_tuple_untoast_attr(new_value);
+
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(old_value));
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(new_value));
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_COMPRESSED(old_value));
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_COMPRESSED(new_value));
+	Assert(VARSIZE_ANY_EXHDR(old_value) == VARSIZE_ANY_EXHDR(new_value));
+
+	/* compare payload, we're fine with unaligned data */
+	return memcmp(VARDATA_ANY(old_value), VARDATA_ANY(new_value),
+				  VARSIZE_ANY_EXHDR(old_value)) == 0;
+}
 
 /* ----------
  * toast_insert_or_update -
@@ -495,8 +557,7 @@ toast_insert_or_update(Relation rel, HeapTuple newtup, HeapTuple oldtup,
 				VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(old_value))
 			{
 				if (toast_isnull[i] || !VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(new_value) ||
-					memcmp((char *) old_value, (char *) new_value,
-						   VARSIZE_EXTERNAL(old_value)) != 0)
+					toast_datum_differs(old_value, new_value))
 				{
 					/*
 					 * The old external stored value isn't needed any more
@@ -1256,6 +1317,8 @@ toast_save_datum(Relation rel, Datum value,
 	int32		data_todo;
 	Pointer		dval = DatumGetPointer(value);
 
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(value));
+
 	/*
 	 * Open the toast relation and its index.  We can use the index to check
 	 * uniqueness of the OID we assign to the toasted item, even though it has
@@ -1339,7 +1402,7 @@ toast_save_datum(Relation rel, Datum value,
 		{
 			struct varatt_external old_toast_pointer;
 
-			Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(oldexternal));
+			Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(oldexternal));
 			/* Must copy to access aligned fields */
 			VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(old_toast_pointer, oldexternal);
 			if (old_toast_pointer.va_toastrelid == rel->rd_toastoid)
@@ -1481,6 +1544,8 @@ toast_delete_datum(Relation rel, Datum value)
 	if (!VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(attr))
 		return;
 
+	Assert(!VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(attr));
+
 	/* Must copy to access aligned fields */
 	VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
 
@@ -1606,6 +1671,16 @@ toast_fetch_datum(struct varlena * attr)
 	char	   *chunkdata;
 	int32		chunksize;
 
+	StaticAssertStmt(sizeof(varatt_indirect) != sizeof(varatt_external),
+					 "indiscernible external/indirect toast tuples");
+
+	if (VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(attr))
+	{
+		struct varatt_indirect redirect;
+		VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(redirect, attr);
+		return (struct varlena *)redirect.pointer;
+	}
+
 	/* Must copy to access aligned fields */
 	VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
 
@@ -1773,7 +1848,7 @@ toast_fetch_datum_slice(struct varlena * attr, int32 sliceoffset, int32 length)
 	int32		chcpystrt;
 	int32		chcpyend;
 
-	Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(attr));
+	Assert(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(attr));
 
 	/* Must copy to access aligned fields */
 	VARATT_EXTERNAL_GET_POINTER(toast_pointer, attr);
diff --git a/src/include/postgres.h b/src/include/postgres.h
index 9808bdc..842fe9d 100644
--- a/src/include/postgres.h
+++ b/src/include/postgres.h
@@ -54,23 +54,36 @@
  */
 
 /*
- * struct varatt_external is a "TOAST pointer", that is, the information
- * needed to fetch a stored-out-of-line Datum.	The data is compressed
- * if and only if va_extsize < va_rawsize - VARHDRSZ.  This struct must not
- * contain any padding, because we sometimes compare pointers using memcmp.
+ * struct varatt_external is a "TOAST pointer", that is, the information needed
+ * to fetch a Datum stored in an out-of-line on-disk Datum. The data is
+ * compressed if and only if va_extsize < va_rawsize - VARHDRSZ.  This struct
+ * must not contain any padding, because we sometimes compare pointers using
+ * memcmp.
  *
  * Note that this information is stored unaligned within actual tuples, so
  * you need to memcpy from the tuple into a local struct variable before
  * you can look at these fields!  (The reason we use memcmp is to avoid
  * having to do that just to detect equality of two TOAST pointers...)
  */
-struct varatt_external
+typedef struct varatt_external
 {
 	int32		va_rawsize;		/* Original data size (includes header) */
 	int32		va_extsize;		/* External saved size (doesn't) */
 	Oid			va_valueid;		/* Unique ID of value within TOAST table */
 	Oid			va_toastrelid;	/* RelID of TOAST table containing it */
-};
+} varatt_external;
+
+/*
+ * Out-of-line Datum thats stored in memory in contrast to varatt_external
+ * pointers which points to data in an external toast relation.
+ *
+ * Note that just as varatt_external's this is stored unaligned within the
+ * tuple.
+ */
+typedef struct varatt_indirect
+{
+	struct varlena *pointer;	/* Pointer to in-memory varlena */
+} varatt_indirect;
 
 /*
  * These structs describe the header of a varlena object that may have been
@@ -106,7 +119,7 @@ typedef struct
 {
 	uint8		va_header;		/* Always 0x80 or 0x01 */
 	uint8		va_len_1be;		/* Physical length of datum */
-	char		va_data[1];		/* Data (for now always a TOAST pointer) */
+	char		va_data[1];		/* Data (pointer to either TOAST or memory) */
 } varattrib_1b_e;
 
 /*
@@ -130,6 +143,9 @@ typedef struct
  * first byte.	Also, it is not possible for a 1-byte length word to be zero;
  * this lets us disambiguate alignment padding bytes from the start of an
  * unaligned datum.  (We now *require* pad bytes to be filled with zero!)
+ *
+ * In TOAST datums the length field in varattrib_1b_e is used to discern
+ * whether its an indirection pointer or more commonly a on-disk tuple.
  */
 
 /*
@@ -217,6 +233,12 @@ typedef struct
 
 #define VARHDRSZ_EXTERNAL		2
 
+/* Size of an EXTERNAL datum that contains a standard TOAST pointer */
+#define TOAST_POINTER_SIZE (VARHDRSZ_EXTERNAL + sizeof(struct varatt_external))
+
+/* Size of an EXTERNAL datum that contains a in-memory TOAST pointer */
+#define INDIRECT_POINTER_SIZE (VARHDRSZ_EXTERNAL + sizeof(struct varatt_indirect))
+
 #define VARDATA_4B(PTR)		(((varattrib_4b *) (PTR))->va_4byte.va_data)
 #define VARDATA_4B_C(PTR)	(((varattrib_4b *) (PTR))->va_compressed.va_data)
 #define VARDATA_1B(PTR)		(((varattrib_1b *) (PTR))->va_data)
@@ -254,6 +276,10 @@ typedef struct
 
 #define VARATT_IS_COMPRESSED(PTR)			VARATT_IS_4B_C(PTR)
 #define VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(PTR)				VARATT_IS_1B_E(PTR)
+#define VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_TOAST(PTR) \
+	(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(PTR) && VARSIZE_EXTERNAL(PTR) == TOAST_POINTER_SIZE)
+#define VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL_INDIRECT(PTR) \
+	(VARATT_IS_EXTERNAL(PTR) && VARSIZE_EXTERNAL(PTR) == INDIRECT_POINTER_SIZE)
 #define VARATT_IS_SHORT(PTR)				VARATT_IS_1B(PTR)
 #define VARATT_IS_EXTENDED(PTR)				(!VARATT_IS_4B_U(PTR))
 
