There are 3 kinds of deletes (with a 4th for win): - Delete.deleteFamily(byte [] family, [long]) -- This removes all data from the given family before the given timestamp, or if none is given, System.currentTimeMillis() - Delete.deleteColumns(byte[] family, byte[]qualifier, [long]) -- This removes all data from the given qualifier, before the given timestamp, or if none is given, System.currentTimeMillis() - Delete.deleteColumn(byte[]family, byte[]qualifier, [long]) -- This removes A SINGLE VERSION at the given time, or if none is given, the most recent version is Get'ed and deleted. - Delete() -- Calls deleteFamily() on server side on every family.
Stack is talking about the LAST delete form. I think what you want is probably deleteColumns() (plural!), or perhaps deleteFamily(). One rarely wants to call deleteColumn(), since it removes just a single version, thus exposing older versions, which MAY be what you want, but I'm guessing probably isn't. Only the last form (deleteColumn (singlar!)) calls Get, the rest do not call Get and are very fast. -ryan On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 1:51 PM, Stack <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Matt Corgan <[email protected]> wrote: >> Is there a way to issue a delete using the server's current timestamp? I >> see methods using HConstants.LATEST_TIMESTAMP which is extremely expensive >> since it triggers a Get call. > > Yes. Deleting latest version involves a Get to figure the most > recents timestamp. And yes, in src code it says this is 'expensive'. > Seems like it does this lookup anything LATEST_TIMESTAMP is passed > whether column, columns, or family only to ensure the delete goes in > ahead of whatever is currently in the Store. > > St.Ack >
