[HACKERS] Auto-indexing

2001-02-06 Thread Christopher Kings-Lynne

Is it a feasible idea that PostgreSQL could detect when an index would be
handy, and create it itself, or at least log that a table is being queried
but the indices are not appropriate?

I suggest this as it's a feature of most windows databases, and MySQL does
it.  I think it would be a great timesaver as we have hundreds of different
queries, and it's a real pain to have to EXPLAIN them all, etc.   Is that
possible?  Feasible?

Chris

--
Christopher Kings-Lynne
Family Health Network (ACN 089 639 243)




Re: [HACKERS] Auto-indexing

2001-02-06 Thread Alfred Perlstein

* Christopher Kings-Lynne [EMAIL PROTECTED] [010206 18:29] wrote:
 Is it a feasible idea that PostgreSQL could detect when an index would be
 handy, and create it itself, or at least log that a table is being queried
 but the indices are not appropriate?
 
 I suggest this as it's a feature of most windows databases, and MySQL does
 it.  I think it would be a great timesaver as we have hundreds of different
 queries, and it's a real pain to have to EXPLAIN them all, etc.   Is that
 possible?  Feasible?

Probably both, but if it's done there should be options to:

.) disable it completely or by table/database or even threshold or
   disk free parameters (indicies can be large)
.) log any auto-created databases to inform the DBA.
.) if disabled optionally log when it would have created an index on
   the fly.  (suggest an index)
.) expire old and unused auto-created indecies.

Generally Postgresql assumes the user knows what he's doing, but
it couldn't hurt too much to provide an option to have it assist
the user.

-- 
-Alfred Perlstein - [[EMAIL PROTECTED]|[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
"I have the heart of a child; I keep it in a jar on my desk."