Re: Using EXPLAIN-ANALYZE

On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 01:08:40PM -0800, Kashmira Patel (kupatel) wrote:
> So I would have to put in lots of rows of data in the table before using
> the explain command? 

Well, no, but you won't get useful information without it. 
PostgreSQL has a cost-based optimizer.  The query plan is affected
by the nature of your data.  That's what the ANALYZE command (on its
own, or with VACUUM) is for.

A

> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-sql-owner@postgresql.org
> [mailto:pgsql-sql-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Sullivan
> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 12:39 PM
> To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
> Subject: Re: [SQL] Using EXPLAIN-ANALYZE
> 
> On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 12:07:10PM -0800, Kashmira Patel (kupatel)
> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >    I am pretty new to using Postrgres, and have been looking at the 
> > messages in this forum for a while. I have noticed that the use of 
> > EXPLAIN-ANALYZE is recommended quite a lot. I read the Postgres docs, 
> > but am not quite sure I understand how this works. Is there some 
> > tutorial or any other documentation how this can be used?
> 
> Well, here's the short version:
> 
> EXPLAIN [query] tells you what the planner _thinks_ it should do.
> 
> EXPLAIN ANALYZE [query] tells you what the planner thinks it should do,
> and also executes the query and reports back how long every step took,
> how many rows were returned, &c.  (For this reason, you want to wrap it
> in BEGIN;...;ROLLBACK; if it changes data.)
> 
> For more, see the EXPLAIN EXPLAINED tutorial on techdocs.postgresql.org
> (<http://techdocs.postgresql.org/oscon2005/robert.treat/OSCON_Explaining
> _Explain_Public.sxi>)
> 
> A
> 
> --
> Andrew Sullivan  | ajs@crankycanuck.ca
> In the future this spectacle of the middle classes shocking the avant-
> garde will probably become the textbook definition of Postmodernism. 
>                 --Brad Holland
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