Re: Should we add GUCs to allow partition pruning to be disabled?

On 20 April 2018 at 14:07, Amit Langote <Langote_Amit_f8@lab.ntt.co.jp> wrote:
> To clarify: if we're going to add a new parameter *for partitioned tables*
> to configure whether or not pruning occurs, even if UPDATE and DELETE now
> rely on constraint exclusion for pruning, we should ignore the setting of
> constraint_exclusion the configuration parameter.  For UPDATE and DELETE,
> if enable_partition_pruning is on, we proceed to prune using constraint
> exclusion (because that's the only method available now), irrespective of
> the setting of constraint_exclusion.
>
> So to users, enable_partition_pruning should be the only way to configure
> whether or not pruning occurs.
>
> Does that make sense?

So to summarise my understanding (plus filling in the blanks):

1. Add single GUC named enable_partition_pruning, default = on.
2. Check this setting in set_append_rel_size to only perform
prune_append_rel_partitions when enable_partition_pruning is true.
3. Add code in create_append_plan to only call
make_partition_pruneinfo when enable_partition_pruning is true.
4. Replace test doing (constraint_exclusion ==
CONSTRAINT_EXCLUSION_PARTITION) with (enable_partition_pruning).
5. Get rid of CONSTRAINT_EXCLUSION_PARTITION.

I don't think you mentioned 5. but if I understand you correctly then
it would leave that option doing nothing. So we should remove it.

> BTW, should this thread be listed somewhere on the open items page?

Yeah. we need to decide this before PG11 is let loose. I will add it.

-- 
 David Rowley                   http://www.2ndQuadrant.com/
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