Re: [COMMITTERS] pgsql: New SQL functons pg_backup_in_progress() and pg_backup_start_tim

On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 11:08 PM, Thom Brown <thom@linux.com> wrote:
> On 15 June 2012 15:54, Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 8:16 PM, Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 1:52 AM, Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net> wrote:
>>>> On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 1:29 AM, Robert Haas <rhaas@postgresql.org> wrote:
>>>>> New SQL functons pg_backup_in_progress() and pg_backup_start_time()
>>>>>
>>>>> Darold Gilles, reviewed by Gabriele Bartolini and others, rebased by
>>>>> Marco Nenciarini.  Stylistic cleanup and OID fixes by me.
>>>>
>>>> How well is the term "on-line exclusive backup" really settled with
>>>> people? I wonder if we need to add a specific note to the docs saying
>>>> that the function doesn't consider streaming base backups at all, and
>>>> that one should refer to pg_stat_replication for info about those? Or
>>>> really, should the function be pg_exclusive_backup_in_progress()
>>>> perhaps?
>>>
>>> Well, if we think that the term "exclusive backup" is not going to be
>>> easily comprehensible, then sticking that into the function name isn't
>>> going to help us much.  I think that's just wordiness for the sake of
>>> being wordy.  I do agree that we could probably improve the clarity of
>>> the documentation along the lines you suggest.
>>
>> It would alert people to the existance of the term, and thus help
>> those who didn't actually read the documentation.
>>
>> Which actually makes an argument for making that change *anyway*,
>> because right now the function is incorrectly named. A function named
>> pg_backup_in_progress() should answer the question "is a backup in
>> progress". And it doesn't answer that question.
>
> Maybe pg_is_in_backup_mode, which would match the naming convention of
> pg_is_in_recovery, and would claim that a backup is actually underway.

Wouldn't that make it even more wrong since it doesn't include backups
taken using streaming backups?

--
 Magnus Hagander
 Me: http://www.hagander.net/
 Work: http://www.redpill-linpro.com/