Changing behavior of BEGIN...sleep...do something...COMMIT

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003, Tom Lane wrote:

It seems to me that it'd be fairly easy to make BEGIN cause only
a local state change in the backend; the actual transaction need not
start until the first subsequent command is received.

[snip]

In a very real sense, the transaction snapshot defines "when the
transaction starts" --- so shouldn't now() agree?

If we did both of these things, then the negatives of doing an early
BEGIN would pretty much vanish, and we'd not need to complain that these
client libraries are broken.

Comments?

Both ideas sound like a win to me.

Jon

On Fri, Mar 28, 2003 at 11:13:28PM -0500, Tom Lane wrote:

The other thing that could be thought about here is when to freeze the
value of now(). Currently now() is frozen when BEGIN is received.
We could keep doing that, but it seems to me it would make more sense
to freeze now() when the transaction snapshot is established. In a
very real sense, the transaction snapshot defines "when the transaction
starts" --- so shouldn't now() agree?

Yes, I saw this in the code and wondered about the inconsistency. I
agree the timestamp should be taken at the same time as the snapshot.

While at this, what do you think about adding the necessary variables
to make now('transaction') and now('query') possible?

--
Alvaro Herrera (<alvherre[a]dcc.uchile.cl>)
"En las profundidades de nuestro inconsciente hay una obsesiva necesidad
de un universo lógico y coherente. Pero el universo real se halla siempre
un paso más allá de la lógica" (Irulan)

Alvaro Herrera wrote:

On Fri, Mar 28, 2003 at 11:13:28PM -0500, Tom Lane wrote:

The other thing that could be thought about here is when to freeze the
value of now(). Currently now() is frozen when BEGIN is received.
We could keep doing that, but it seems to me it would make more sense
to freeze now() when the transaction snapshot is established. In a
very real sense, the transaction snapshot defines "when the transaction
starts" --- so shouldn't now() agree?

Yes, I saw this in the code and wondered about the inconsistency. I
agree the timestamp should be taken at the same time as the snapshot.

While at this, what do you think about adding the necessary variables
to make now('transaction') and now('query') possible?

TODO already has:

* Add now("transaction|statement|clock") functionality

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 359-1001
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:

Alvaro Herrera wrote:

While at this, what do you think about adding the necessary variables
to make now('transaction') and now('query') possible?

TODO already has:
* Add now("transaction|statement|clock") functionality

I know that's what we agreed to awhile back, but I've realized that that
would be a foolish way to do it.

The problem is that such a function would have to be marked VOLATILE,
which would prevent its use in indexscan qualifiers. The volatility
labeling is a property of the function, not of the particular argument
it's passed, so we'd have to label it for the worst-case behavior.

Accordingly, it's a bad idea to invent now('clock') and make it the
same function as the other flavors. We could get away with making
now('transaction') and now('statement') ---- but the argument for this
was consistency, and that argument pretty much falls flat if those two
are one function while clock time is something else.

So I'm back in the camp of thinking three separate parameterless
functions are the way to do it. We already know what now() does,
and we're not going to change it --- anyone want to propose names
for the other two?

regards, tom lane

Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> writes:

Accordingly, it's a bad idea to invent now('clock') and make it the
same function as the other flavors. We could get away with making
now('transaction') and now('statement') ---- but the argument for this
was consistency, and that argument pretty much falls flat if those two
are one function while clock time is something else.

So I'm back in the camp of thinking three separate parameterless
functions are the way to do it. We already know what now() does,
and we're not going to change it --- anyone want to propose names
for the other two?

Maybe clock_time() and statement_time(), with transaction_time() an
alias for now() (if that's seemed necessary)?

A little verbose perhaps, but clear...

-Doug

Doug McNaught wrote:

Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> writes:

Accordingly, it's a bad idea to invent now('clock') and make it the
same function as the other flavors. We could get away with making
now('transaction') and now('statement') ---- but the argument for this
was consistency, and that argument pretty much falls flat if those two
are one function while clock time is something else.

So I'm back in the camp of thinking three separate parameterless
functions are the way to do it. We already know what now() does,
and we're not going to change it --- anyone want to propose names
for the other two?

Maybe clock_time() and statement_time(), with transaction_time() an
alias for now() (if that's seemed necessary)?

Agreed on the need to not use args for now().

We already have CURRENT_TIMESTAMP. Would CLOCK_TIMESTAMP,
TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP, and STATEMENT_TIMESTAMP make sense, with
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP being the same as TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP?

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 359-1001
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:

Doug McNaught wrote:

Maybe clock_time() and statement_time(), with transaction_time() an
alias for now() (if that's seemed necessary)?

I could go with that ...

We already have CURRENT_TIMESTAMP. Would CLOCK_TIMESTAMP,
TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP, and STATEMENT_TIMESTAMP make sense, with
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP being the same as TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP?

... or that. But, please, *not* the weird no-parentheses syntax that
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP has. Make it clock_timestamp() and so on.

regards, tom lane

Hi,

Tom Lane wrote:

It seems to me that it'd be fairly easy to make BEGIN cause only
a local state change in the backend; the actual transaction need not
start until the first subsequent command is received. It's already
true that the transaction snapshot is not frozen at BEGIN time, but
only when the first DML or DDL command is received; so this would
have no impact on the client-visible semantics. But a BEGIN-then-
sleep-for-awhile client wouldn't interfere with VACUUM anymore.

As I can remember, already, when autocommit off transaction begin with
first DML or DDL command. May be better change client to use autocommit
off mode?

--
Olleg Samojlov

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003, Tom Lane wrote:

It seems to me that it'd be fairly easy to make BEGIN cause only
a local state change in the backend; the actual transaction need not
start until the first subsequent command is received. It's already
true that the transaction snapshot is not frozen at BEGIN time, but
only when the first DML or DDL command is received; so this would
have no impact on the client-visible semantics. But a BEGIN-then-
sleep-for-awhile client wouldn't interfere with VACUUM anymore.

What about serializable mode? Wouldn't that break it?

"scott.marlowe" <scott.marlowe@ihs.com> writes:

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003, Tom Lane wrote:

It seems to me that it'd be fairly easy to make BEGIN cause only
a local state change in the backend; the actual transaction need not
start until the first subsequent command is received. It's already
true that the transaction snapshot is not frozen at BEGIN time, but
only when the first DML or DDL command is received; so this would
have no impact on the client-visible semantics. But a BEGIN-then-
sleep-for-awhile client wouldn't interfere with VACUUM anymore.

What about serializable mode? Wouldn't that break it?

No. Even in serializable mode, we don't set the snapshot until the
first DML/DDL command. (This *has* to be true because if you want to
take any locks via explicit LOCK commands, you need to be able to issue
those before the snapshot is frozen. Doesn't do you much good to lock
a table if your view of the table will date from before the lock.)

AFAICT the only part of this proposal that would result in any change in
user-visible behavior is the proposal to alter the point where now() is
frozen. But that's really an independent question.

regards, tom lane

Olleg Samojlov <olleg@jane.telecom.mipt.ru> writes:

As I can remember, already, when autocommit off transaction begin with
first DML or DDL command. May be better change client to use autocommit
off mode?

We've been waiting for those clients to get fixed for a long while.
Waiting for them to adopt autocommit-off seems about as hopeless as
waiting for them to postpone BEGIN :-(

Also, per other discussions, we are removing backend autocommit support
in 7.4. It was the wrong way to do it.

regards, tom lane

Also, per other discussions, we are removing backend autocommit support
in 7.4. It was the wrong way to do it.

Somehow I did not see that conclusion made.
I thought, at least for JDBC, it is already successfully used ?
I think the backend autocommit is useful. Maybe only the
installation/database/user wide GUC setting should be depricated/
disabled, so it is only used by a session SET ?

Andreas

"Zeugswetter Andreas SB SD" <ZeugswetterA@spardat.at> writes:

Somehow I did not see that conclusion made.
I thought, at least for JDBC, it is already successfully used ?

Barry, at least, seemed to be happy with removing it, given the planned
protocol change to report current transaction state after every query.

I think the backend autocommit is useful. Maybe only the
installation/database/user wide GUC setting should be depricated/
disabled, so it is only used by a session SET ?

That wouldn't really solve any of the problems.

regards, tom lane

Zeugswetter Andreas SB SD wrote:

Also, per other discussions, we are removing backend autocommit support
in 7.4. It was the wrong way to do it.

Somehow I did not see that conclusion made.
I thought, at least for JDBC, it is already successfully used ?
I think the backend autocommit is useful. Maybe only the
installation/database/user wide GUC setting should be depricated/
disabled, so it is only used by a session SET ?

Yes, I agree, but most of the other folks think autocommit shouldn't be
in the backend.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 359-1001
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

Andreas,

From the JDBC side it really doesn't make that much difference. The
JDBC code needs to support both ways of doing it (explicit begin/commits
for 7.2 and earlier servers, and set autocommit for 7.3 servers), so
however it ends up for 7.4 it shouldn't be too much work to adopt. As
Tom has mentioned elsewhere the key change is having the FE/BE protocol
report the current transaction state.

thanks,
--Barry

Zeugswetter Andreas SB SD wrote:

Tom Lane wrote:

Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:

Doug McNaught wrote:

Maybe clock_time() and statement_time(), with transaction_time() an
alias for now() (if that's seemed necessary)?

I could go with that ...

We already have CURRENT_TIMESTAMP. Would CLOCK_TIMESTAMP,
TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP, and STATEMENT_TIMESTAMP make sense, with
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP being the same as TRANSACTION_TIMESTAMP?

... or that. But, please, *not* the weird no-parentheses syntax that
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP has. Make it clock_timestamp() and so on.

TODO updated:

* Add transaction_timestamp(), statement_timestamp(), clock_timestamp()
functionality

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 359-1001
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

TODO updated (already reported):

* Add transaction_timestamp(), statement_timestamp(), clock_timestamp()
functionality

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Lane wrote:

Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:

Alvaro Herrera wrote:

While at this, what do you think about adding the necessary variables
to make now('transaction') and now('query') possible?

TODO already has:
* Add now("transaction|statement|clock") functionality

I know that's what we agreed to awhile back, but I've realized that that
would be a foolish way to do it.

The problem is that such a function would have to be marked VOLATILE,
which would prevent its use in indexscan qualifiers. The volatility
labeling is a property of the function, not of the particular argument
it's passed, so we'd have to label it for the worst-case behavior.

Accordingly, it's a bad idea to invent now('clock') and make it the
same function as the other flavors. We could get away with making
now('transaction') and now('statement') ---- but the argument for this
was consistency, and that argument pretty much falls flat if those two
are one function while clock time is something else.

So I'm back in the camp of thinking three separate parameterless
functions are the way to do it. We already know what now() does,
and we're not going to change it --- anyone want to propose names
for the other two?

regards, tom lane

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-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 359-1001
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073