Upcoming PostgreSQL Performance Features

BRUCE MOMJIAN,
ENTERPRISEDB

September, 2007

Abstract
This outlines the upcoming performance features of PostgreSQL 8.3.
 PostgreSQL Evolution

Crash SQL Standards Enterprise

86

96

98

01

07
19

19

19

20

20
11 Years

Enterprise features include:

Improved Performance

Simplified Maintenance and Administration

Efficient 24/7 Operation

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 1
 Update Without Heap Only Tuples (HOT)

Index 1 2 3

Page Header Item1 Item2 Item3

8K

UPDATE2

UPDATE1 INSERT Special

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 2

 Update With Heap Only Tuples (HOT)

Index 1

Page Header Item1 Item2 Item3

8K

UPDATE1 UPDATE2 Special

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 3

 Asynchronous Commit And
Checkpoint Smoothing

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 4

 Synchronized Scans

Session 1

Session 2

D D D D D D D D D D D D
A A A A A A A A A A A A
T T T T T T T T T T T T
A A A A A A A A A A A A

Heap

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 5

 Autovacuum On By Default

Autovacuum

Dead
Dead
Dead
Dead
Dead
Dead
Dead

Dead

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 6

 Short Varlena Headers

Two CHAR(1) fields, 16 bytes

length G padding length T padding

Two CHAR(1) fields, 4 bytes

len

len

G T
gth

gth

Short headers used for lengths less than 128 bytes. Also, the tuple header
is now 23 bytes, 4 bytes shorter.

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 7

 Other Performance Improvements

Now possible for LIMIT with ORDER BY to return matching rows

without sorting

New ring buffer for vacuums and large sequential scans avoids cache
wiping

Transaction ids no longer used for read-only transactions; reduces the

need for vacuum to prevent xid wrap-around

Auto-adjusted background writer

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 8

 Other Improvements

Full Text Search (tsearch2) installed by default

Updatable cursors (WHERE CURRENT OF)

Data types
– SQL/XML with syntax support
– UUID (universal unique identifier)
– ENUM

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 9

 Questions?

Upcoming PostgreSQL Features 10