Re: scan on inheritance parent with no children in current session

Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com>

From: Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com>
To: Amit Langote <Langote_Amit_f8@lab.ntt.co.jp>
Cc: Ashutosh Bapat <ashutosh.bapat@enterprisedb.com>, pgsql-hackers <pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org>
Date: 2017-08-11T15:38:27Z
Lists: pgsql-hackers
On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 10:56 PM, Amit Langote
<Langote_Amit_f8@lab.ntt.co.jp> wrote:
> Good catch.  I agree that getting an Append node after that commit is
> unintentional and we should fix so that we don't get an Append.  So, +1 to
> your patch.  I looked at the patch and the code fix seems to do what we want.

So, I also agree that this is a good fix, but I don't think it fixes
the whole problem.  Consider:

rhaas=# create table parent (a int) partition by list (a);
CREATE TABLE
rhaas=# create temp table child partition of parent for values in (1);
CREATE TABLE
rhaas=# explain verbose select * from parent;
                               QUERY PLAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Append  (cost=0.00..35.50 rows=2550 width=4)
   ->  Seq Scan on pg_temp_3.child  (cost=0.00..35.50 rows=2550 width=4)
         Output: child.a
(3 rows)

But the comments say:

 * A childless table is never considered to be an inheritance set; therefore
 * a parent RTE must always have at least two associated AppendRelInfos.

Yet, not.  So at least the comments need to be updated; not sure if we
want to try to eliminate the Append node in this case also.

-- 
Robert Haas
EnterpriseDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com
The Enterprise PostgreSQL Company


Commits

  1. Avoid unnecessary single-child Append nodes.

  2. Don't scan partitioned tables.