"Dann Corbit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > For the disk case, why not have the start of the record contain an array > of offsets to the start of the data for each column? It would only be > necessary to have a list for variable fields.
No, you'd need an entry for *every* column (or at least, every one to the right of the first variable-width column or NULL). That's a lot of overhead, especially in comparison to datatypes like bool or int4 ... regards, tom lane ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate subscribe-nomail command to [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that your message can get through to the mailing list cleanly