Query in function not using index...

Started by John Colealmost 19 years ago6 messagesgeneral
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#1John Cole
john.cole@uai.com

Hello,
I need some help with a query inside a function. The table has 31M rows
in it (us streets), and a select statement takes 10ms when using an index
built for the query...

But, when the same query is in a function and uses a variable the index
isn't used and the query takes a few minutes.

Here is the query:

DECLARE
v_cntr INTEGER;
v_streetName VARCHAR := 'wynn%';
v_addr INTEGER := 307;
BEGIN

SELECT count(0) into v_cntr FROM tiger_geocode_roads r
left join placecu p on r.place=p.placei
join state_lookup s on r.state=s.fips
WHERE lower(r.fename::text) like 'wynn%'
AND r.gadd >= v_addr
AND r.ladd <= v_addr
AND fename IS NOT NULL
AND gadd IS NOT NULL
AND ladd IS NOT NULL;

This version comes back in 10ms, but the following takes several minutes:

DECLARE
v_cntr INTEGER;
v_streetName VARCHAR := 'wynn%';
v_addr INTEGER := 307;
BEGIN

SELECT count(0) into v_cntr FROM tiger_geocode_roads r
left join placecu p on r.place=p.placei
join state_lookup s on r.state=s.fips
WHERE lower(r.fename::text) like v_streetName
AND r.gadd >= v_addr
AND r.ladd <= v_addr
AND fename IS NOT NULL
AND gadd IS NOT NULL
AND ladd IS NOT NULL;

Our index looks like:

CREATE INDEX tiger_geocode_roads_lower_fename_addr
ON tiger_geocode_roads
USING btree
(lower(fename::text), gadd, ladd)
WHERE fename IS NOT NULL AND gadd IS NOT NULL AND ladd IS NOT NULL;

Any idea why using a variable v_streetName instead of a string 'wynn%'
behaves differently?

Thanks,

John

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#2PFC
lists@peufeu.com
In reply to: John Cole (#1)
Re: Query in function not using index...

Any idea why using a variable v_streetName instead of a string 'wynn%'
behaves differently?

Yeah.
'wynn%' doesn't start with % so LIKE uses index.
But Postgres doesn't know that you know that the contents of this
variable never starts with '%'...

Show quoted text

Thanks,

John

#3Tom Lane
tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us
In reply to: PFC (#2)
Re: Query in function not using index...

Listmail <lists@peufeu.com> writes:

Any idea why using a variable v_streetName instead of a string 'wynn%'
behaves differently?

Yeah.
'wynn%' doesn't start with % so LIKE uses index.
But Postgres doesn't know that you know that the contents of this
variable never starts with '%'...

Even more to the point: the transformation of LIKE 'pattern' into an
index range is a plan-time optimization, so if the planner hasn't got a
constant pattern to work with, it'll never happen. (Yeah, this should
be improved someday.)

If you need to depend on LIKE indexing with non-constant patterns,
you'll have to use EXECUTE to force the query to be replanned each time.

regards, tom lane

#4John Cole
john.cole@uai.com
In reply to: Tom Lane (#3)
Re: Query in function not using index...

Tom,
We were looking at the explain results and noticed that it was converting
the 'wynn%' into fname >= 'wynn' and fname < 'wyno'

So we modified our function to mimic this transformation, where we have
two variables that contain the 'wynn' and 'wyno':
Fname >= @var1 and fname < @var2

This seems to pick up the index ok, but is this a valid and reliable
solution? Or is there another/better way to do this?

Thanks for the explanation, it really helps.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Lane [mailto:tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us]
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 5:57 PM
To: Listmail
Cc: John Cole; 'pgsql-general@postgresql.org'
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Query in function not using index...

Listmail <lists@peufeu.com> writes:

Any idea why using a variable v_streetName instead of a string 'wynn%'
behaves differently?

Yeah.
'wynn%' doesn't start with % so LIKE uses index.
But Postgres doesn't know that you know that the contents of this
variable never starts with '%'...

Even more to the point: the transformation of LIKE 'pattern' into an
index range is a plan-time optimization, so if the planner hasn't got a
constant pattern to work with, it'll never happen. (Yeah, this should
be improved someday.)

If you need to depend on LIKE indexing with non-constant patterns,
you'll have to use EXECUTE to force the query to be replanned each time.

regards, tom lane

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.5.10/774 - Release Date: 4/23/2007
5:26 PM

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.5.10/774 - Release Date: 4/23/2007
5:26 PM

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.

#5PFC
lists@peufeu.com
In reply to: John Cole (#4)
Re: Query in function not using index...

Tom,
We were looking at the explain results and noticed that it was
converting
the 'wynn%' into fname >= 'wynn' and fname < 'wyno'

Does this also work if the last character is a unicode character ?

#6Tom Lane
tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us
In reply to: PFC (#5)
Re: Query in function not using index...

Listmail <lists@peufeu.com> writes:

We were looking at the explain results and noticed that it was
converting
the 'wynn%' into fname >= 'wynn' and fname < 'wyno'

Does this also work if the last character is a unicode character ?

In C locale it does, though you have to be careful to avoid generating
an invalid encoding.

regards, tom lane