I was just troubleshooting a slow query SELECT * FROM da_answer a WHERE a.provider_id IN ( SELECT visibility_bypass_providers( 0, 0 ) ) OR -- ownership ( EXISTS ( -- Visibility grant SELECT v.client_answer_id FROM sp_client_answervisibility v JOIN sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t ON v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id AND t.provider_id = 0 WHERE v.client_answer_id = a.answer_id AND v.visible = TRUE ) AND NOT EXISTS ( -- Visibility deny SELECT v.client_answer_id FROM sp_client_answervisibility v JOIN sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t ON v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id AND t.provider_id = 0 WHERE v.client_answer_id = a.answer_id AND v.visible = FALSE ) AND --ROI goes here a.covered_by_roi = TRUE )
The subplan 3 in the explain seemed to be looping through 3 million rows which explained the slowdown.... QUERY PLAN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitmap Heap Scan on da_answer a (cost=222.43..946804.85 rows=22309 width=70) (actual time=15.717..5141.001 rows=34810 loops=1) Recheck Cond: (question_id = 18) Filter: ((hashed SubPlan 1) OR ((alternatives: SubPlan 2 or hashed SubPlan 3) AND (NOT (alternatives: SubPlan 4 or hashed SubPlan 5)) AND covered_by_roi)) -> Bitmap Index Scan on daanswer_questionid (cost=0.00..221.26 rows=35695 width=0) (actual time=6.438..6.438 rows=35060 loops=1) Index Cond: (question_id = 18) SubPlan 1 -> Result (cost=0.00..0.05 rows=1 width=0) (actual time=3.683..4.621 rows=1728 loops=1) SubPlan 2 -> Merge Join (cost=9.04..17.43 rows=1 width=0) (never executed) Merge Cond: (v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id) -> Index Scan using clientanswervisibility_answerid_sharinggroupid_allow on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=0.00..8.38 rows=3 width=4) (never executed) Index Cond: (client_answer_id = $1) -> Sort (cost=9.04..9.04 rows=4 width=4) (never executed) Sort Key: t.sharing_group_id -> Bitmap Heap Scan on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=2.05..9.03 rows=4 width=4) (never executed) Recheck Cond: (provider_id = 0) -> Bitmap Index Scan on sharinggroupprovidertree_providerid (cost=0.00..2.05 rows=4 width=0) (never executed) Index Cond: (provider_id = 0) SubPlan 3 -> Nested Loop (cost=0.00..52203.49 rows=2316644 width=4) (actual time=0.053..2827.799 rows=3321883 loops=1) -> Index Scan using sharinggroupprovidertree_providerid on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=0.00..10.03 rows=4 width=4) (actual time=0.024..0.030 rows=3 loops=1) Index Cond: (provider_id = 0) -> Index Scan using spclientanswervisibility_sharinggroupid on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=0.00..13011.17 rows=14877 width=8) (actual time=0.014..512.286 rows=1107294 loops=3) Index Cond: (v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id) Filter: v.visible SubPlan 4 -> Nested Loop (cost=0.00..8.19 rows=1 width=0) (never executed) -> Index Scan using clientanswervisibility_answerid_sharinggroupid_deny on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=0.00..4.13 rows=1 width=4) (never executed) Index Cond: (client_answer_id = $1) -> Index Scan using sp_sharing_group_provider_tree_sharing_group_id_key on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=0.00..4.05 rows=1 width=4) (never executed) Index Cond: ((t.sharing_group_id = v.sharing_group_id) AND (t.provider_id = 0)) SubPlan 5 -> Nested Loop (cost=2993.74..35065.77 rows=542897 width=4) (actual time=105.162..105.162 rows=0 loops=1) -> Bitmap Heap Scan on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=2.05..9.03 rows=4 width=4) (actual time=0.037..0.047 rows=3 loops=1) Recheck Cond: (provider_id = 0) -> Bitmap Index Scan on sharinggroupprovidertree_providerid (cost=0.00..2.05 rows=4 width=0) (actual time=0.027..0.027 rows=3 loops=1) Index Cond: (provider_id = 0) -> Bitmap Heap Scan on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=2991.69..8755.47 rows=3486 width=8) (actual time=35.030..35.030 rows=0 loops=3) Recheck Cond: ((v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id) AND (NOT v.visible)) -> Bitmap Index Scan on clientanswervisibility_answerid_sharinggroupid_deny (cost=0.00..2991.51 rows=3486 width=0) (actual time=35.027..35.027 rows=0 loops=3) Index Cond: (v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id) Total runtime: 5170.291 ms (42 rows) So on a whim I tossed a LIMIT 1 into both exists clauses: SELECT * FROM da_answer a WHERE a.provider_id IN ( SELECT visibility_bypass_providers( 0, 0 ) ) OR -- ownership ( EXISTS ( -- Visibility grant SELECT v.client_answer_id FROM sp_client_answervisibility v JOIN sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t ON v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id AND t.provider_id = 0 WHERE v.client_answer_id = a.answer_id AND v.visible = TRUE LIMIT 1 ) AND NOT EXISTS ( -- Visibility deny SELECT v.client_answer_id FROM sp_client_answervisibility v JOIN sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t ON v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id AND t.provider_id = 0 WHERE v.client_answer_id = a.answer_id AND v.visible = FALSE LIMIT 1 ) AND --ROI goes here a.covered_by_roi = TRUE ) And it went from 5000+ ms to 90ms... QUERY PLAN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitmap Heap Scan on da_answer a (cost=222.43..946804.85 rows=22309 width=70) (actual time=15.850..84.705 rows=34810 loops=1) Recheck Cond: (question_id = 18) Filter: ((hashed SubPlan 1) OR ((SubPlan 2) AND (NOT (SubPlan 3)) AND covered_by_roi)) -> Bitmap Index Scan on daanswer_questionid (cost=0.00..221.26 rows=35695 width=0) (actual time=6.319..6.319 rows=35060 loops=1) Index Cond: (question_id = 18) SubPlan 1 -> Result (cost=0.00..0.05 rows=1 width=0) (actual time=3.798..4.707 rows=1728 loops=1) SubPlan 2 -> Limit (cost=9.04..17.43 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=0.007..0.007 rows=1 loops=1994) -> Merge Join (cost=9.04..17.43 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=0.007..0.007 rows=1 loops=1994) Merge Cond: (v.sharing_group_id = t.sharing_group_id) -> Index Scan using clientanswervisibility_answerid_sharinggroupid_allow on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=0.00..8.38 rows=3 width=8) (actual time=0.005..0.005 rows=1 loops=1994) Index Cond: (client_answer_id = $1) -> Sort (cost=9.04..9.04 rows=4 width=4) (actual time=0.000..0.000 rows=1 loops=1856) Sort Key: t.sharing_group_id Sort Method: quicksort Memory: 25kB -> Bitmap Heap Scan on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=2.05..9.03 rows=4 width=4) (actual time=0.011..0.014 rows=3 loops=1) Recheck Cond: (provider_id = 0) -> Bitmap Index Scan on sharinggroupprovidertree_providerid (cost=0.00..2.05 rows=4 width=0) (actual time=0.008..0.008 rows=3 loops=1) Index Cond: (provider_id = 0) SubPlan 3 -> Limit (cost=0.00..8.19 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=0.003..0.003 rows=0 loops=1744) -> Nested Loop (cost=0.00..8.19 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=0.003..0.003 rows=0 loops=1744) -> Index Scan using clientanswervisibility_answerid_sharinggroupid_deny on sp_client_answervisibility v (cost=0.00..4.13 rows=1 width=8) (actual time=0.002..0.002 rows=0 loops=1744) Index Cond: (client_answer_id = $1) -> Index Scan using sp_sharing_group_provider_tree_sharing_group_id_key on sp_sharing_group_provider_tree t (cost=0.00..4.05 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=0.003..0.003 rows=0 loops=22) Index Cond: ((t.sharing_group_id = v.sharing_group_id) AND (t.provider_id = 0)) Total runtime: 91.263 ms (28 rows) I'm no backend guru, so I was hoping someone could explain what the original query-plan was doing. If all you need to know is if a row exists, why loop over all 3M rows? It seems very simplistic to assume the a LIMIT 1 clause on the end of all EXISTS subqueries would be a general case optimization... Right? -- "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind." -- Mohandas Gandhi