Big number of "unused" pages as reported by VACUUM
Yury Bokhoncovich <byg@center-f1.ru>
From: Yury Bokhoncovich <byg@center-f1.ru>
To: <pgsql-patches@postgresql.org>
Date: 2002-09-06T06:04:14Z
Lists: pgsql-hackers
Hello! Some time ago I've got troubles with performance of my PG. After investigation I had found that the most probable reason was the big number of "unused" pages. Below follows what VACUUM reported: ======================= vacuum verbose goods; NOTICE: --Relation goods-- NOTICE: Pages 15068: Changed 0, Empty 0; Tup 16157: Vac 0, Keep 0, UnUsed 465938. ======================= select count(*) from goods; count ------- 16157 ======================= The same schema with the almost identical number of rows gives completely different result on another table: ======================= vacuum verbose goods; NOTICE: --Relation goods-- NOTICE: Pages 912: Changed 0, Empty 0; Tup 11209: Vac 0, Keep 0, UnUsed 19778. ======================= select count(*) from goods; count ------- 11209 ======================= Two questions: 1) Where to seek the real source of the enormous big number of unused pages? 2) How to shrink the table (i.e. how can I get rid those unused pages)? PG: was 7.2.1, now 7.2.2. -- WBR, Yury Bokhoncovich, Senior System Administrator, NOC of F1 Group. Phone: +7 (3832) 106228, ext.140, E-mail: byg@center-f1.ru. Unix is like a wigwam -- no Gates, no Windows, and an Apache inside.