Re: When will my database crash?

> S. C.
>
> We have a postgres 7.4 database which never vacuum for 4 months. I try to
> vacuum one time. But my manager can't bear the low performance of
> website. So
> I had to kill the vacuum before it finished.  Is it ok for a postgres 7.4
> database never do vacuuming?
>
> We have 10,000 trans every day. That would be 10,000 inserts and 10,000
> updates each day.
>

Well, at 10,000 trans per day, you have many years yet before fatal problems
occur, but thats not OK.

It is possible to run for a long time without vacuuming, if your application
performance does not degrade significantly as a result - but that is very
dependant upon the exact application/database design. Unfortunately, most
designs will degrade. The danger is that your performance grows slightly
worse every second, with the risk that some query plans may eventually
switch to a different execution path and the viability of your website might
come to a sudden halt.

Proactive, planned maintenance is more manageable than sudden, grinding
failure when you're at home in bed. Make sure your manager is part of the
call-out plan, thats usually a good way to make them care about maintenance.

For most applications, you should be running VACUUM FULL at least monthly,
since any more than that is effectively the same thing as "never", as your
case shows.

Best Regards, Simon Riggs