Postgresql as Temporal Datbase: Summary and proposal

Postgresql can easily act as a Temporal database withsome changes. Using this applications can get all
changesperformed ona particular tuple during its lifetime provided vaccum is not performed
 
on that  particular table.
Requirements:     1) Every Tuble is uniquely identified by unique OID     2) The tuple should be never overreturn or
deleted
The above two conditions are easily satisfied by the existing
postgresqldatabase.

 Summary of changes:     1) New type of  select statement need to added to the extisting
parser           to get all the records of a particular tuple with a specific
oid.           By using xmin,xmax we can get sequence of changes performed
on that tuple.     2)  While scanning the heap for the new select statement , the
tuples which           are marked as deleted (or invalid) are also picked up.     3) Need to add one more attribute for
everytable to indicate
 
wether the            tuple is dead(invalid) or not along with  existing
attributes  oid,xmin,xmax.     4)  We should make sure the Oid is unique taking care of
wraparound problem.




regards
jana