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2 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>58.4. Foreign Data Wrapper Query Planning</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css" /><link rev="made" href="pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org" /><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets Vsnapshot" /><link rel="prev" href="fdw-helpers.html" title="58.3. Foreign Data Wrapper Helper Functions" /><link rel="next" href="fdw-row-locking.html" title="58.5. Row Locking in Foreign Data Wrappers" /></head><body id="docContent" class="container-fluid col-10"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="5" align="center">58.4. Foreign Data Wrapper Query Planning</th></tr><tr><td width="10%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="fdw-helpers.html" title="58.3. Foreign Data Wrapper Helper Functions">Prev</a> </td><td width="10%" align="left"><a accesskey="u" href="fdwhandler.html" title="Chapter 58. Writing a Foreign Data Wrapper">Up</a></td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 58. Writing a Foreign Data Wrapper</th><td width="10%" align="right"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html" title="PostgreSQL 18.0 Documentation">Home</a></td><td width="10%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="fdw-row-locking.html" title="58.5. Row Locking in Foreign Data Wrappers">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="sect1" id="FDW-PLANNING"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">58.4. Foreign Data Wrapper Query Planning <a href="#FDW-PLANNING" class="id_link">#</a></h2></div></div></div><p>
3 The FDW callback functions <code class="function">GetForeignRelSize</code>,
4 <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code>, <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code>,
5 <code class="function">PlanForeignModify</code>, <code class="function">GetForeignJoinPaths</code>,
6 <code class="function">GetForeignUpperPaths</code>, and <code class="function">PlanDirectModify</code>
7 must fit into the workings of the <span class="productname">PostgreSQL</span> planner.
8 Here are some notes about what they must do.
10 The information in <code class="literal">root</code> and <code class="literal">baserel</code> can be used
11 to reduce the amount of information that has to be fetched from the
12 foreign table (and therefore reduce the cost).
13 <code class="literal">baserel->baserestrictinfo</code> is particularly interesting, as
14 it contains restriction quals (<code class="literal">WHERE</code> clauses) that should be
15 used to filter the rows to be fetched. (The FDW itself is not required
16 to enforce these quals, as the core executor can check them instead.)
17 <code class="literal">baserel->reltarget->exprs</code> can be used to determine which
18 columns need to be fetched; but note that it only lists columns that
19 have to be emitted by the <code class="structname">ForeignScan</code> plan node, not
20 columns that are used in qual evaluation but not output by the query.
22 Various private fields are available for the FDW planning functions to
23 keep information in. Generally, whatever you store in FDW private fields
24 should be palloc'd, so that it will be reclaimed at the end of planning.
26 <code class="literal">baserel->fdw_private</code> is a <code class="type">void</code> pointer that is
27 available for FDW planning functions to store information relevant to
28 the particular foreign table. The core planner does not touch it except
29 to initialize it to NULL when the <code class="literal">RelOptInfo</code> node is created.
30 It is useful for passing information forward from
31 <code class="function">GetForeignRelSize</code> to <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code> and/or
32 <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code> to <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code>, thereby
33 avoiding recalculation.
35 <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code> can identify the meaning of different
36 access paths by storing private information in the
37 <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> field of <code class="structname">ForeignPath</code> nodes.
38 <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> is declared as a <code class="type">List</code> pointer, but
39 could actually contain anything since the core planner does not touch
40 it. However, best practice is to use a representation that's dumpable
41 by <code class="function">nodeToString</code>, for use with debugging support available
44 <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code> can examine the <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code>
45 field of the selected <code class="structname">ForeignPath</code> node, and can generate
46 <code class="structfield">fdw_exprs</code> and <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> lists to be
47 placed in the <code class="structname">ForeignScan</code> plan node, where they will be
48 available at execution time. Both of these lists must be
49 represented in a form that <code class="function">copyObject</code> knows how to copy.
50 The <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> list has no other restrictions and is
51 not interpreted by the core backend in any way. The
52 <code class="structfield">fdw_exprs</code> list, if not NIL, is expected to contain
53 expression trees that are intended to be executed at run time. These
54 trees will undergo post-processing by the planner to make them fully
57 In <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code>, generally the passed-in target list can
58 be copied into the plan node as-is. The passed <code class="literal">scan_clauses</code> list
59 contains the same clauses as <code class="literal">baserel->baserestrictinfo</code>,
60 but may be re-ordered for better execution efficiency. In simple cases
61 the FDW can just strip <code class="structname">RestrictInfo</code> nodes from the
62 <code class="literal">scan_clauses</code> list (using <code class="function">extract_actual_clauses</code>) and put
63 all the clauses into the plan node's qual list, which means that all the
64 clauses will be checked by the executor at run time. More complex FDWs
65 may be able to check some of the clauses internally, in which case those
66 clauses can be removed from the plan node's qual list so that the
67 executor doesn't waste time rechecking them.
69 As an example, the FDW might identify some restriction clauses of the
70 form <em class="replaceable"><code>foreign_variable</code></em> <code class="literal">=</code>
71 <em class="replaceable"><code>sub_expression</code></em>, which it determines can be executed on
72 the remote server given the locally-evaluated value of the
73 <em class="replaceable"><code>sub_expression</code></em>. The actual identification of such a
74 clause should happen during <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code>, since it would
75 affect the cost estimate for the path. The path's
76 <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> field would probably include a pointer to
77 the identified clause's <code class="structname">RestrictInfo</code> node. Then
78 <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code> would remove that clause from <code class="literal">scan_clauses</code>,
79 but add the <em class="replaceable"><code>sub_expression</code></em> to <code class="structfield">fdw_exprs</code>
80 to ensure that it gets massaged into executable form. It would probably
81 also put control information into the plan node's
82 <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> field to tell the execution functions what
83 to do at run time. The query transmitted to the remote server would
84 involve something like <code class="literal">WHERE <em class="replaceable"><code>foreign_variable</code></em> =
85 $1</code>, with the parameter value obtained at run time from
86 evaluation of the <code class="structfield">fdw_exprs</code> expression tree.
88 Any clauses removed from the plan node's qual list must instead be added
89 to <code class="literal">fdw_recheck_quals</code> or rechecked by
90 <code class="literal">RecheckForeignScan</code> in order to ensure correct behavior
91 at the <code class="literal">READ COMMITTED</code> isolation level. When a concurrent
92 update occurs for some other table involved in the query, the executor
93 may need to verify that all of the original quals are still satisfied for
94 the tuple, possibly against a different set of parameter values. Using
95 <code class="literal">fdw_recheck_quals</code> is typically easier than implementing checks
96 inside <code class="literal">RecheckForeignScan</code>, but this method will be
97 insufficient when outer joins have been pushed down, since the join tuples
98 in that case might have some fields go to NULL without rejecting the
101 Another <code class="structname">ForeignScan</code> field that can be filled by FDWs
102 is <code class="structfield">fdw_scan_tlist</code>, which describes the tuples returned by
103 the FDW for this plan node. For simple foreign table scans this can be
104 set to <code class="literal">NIL</code>, implying that the returned tuples have the
105 row type declared for the foreign table. A non-<code class="symbol">NIL</code> value must be a
106 target list (list of <code class="structname">TargetEntry</code>s) containing Vars and/or
107 expressions representing the returned columns. This might be used, for
108 example, to show that the FDW has omitted some columns that it noticed
109 won't be needed for the query. Also, if the FDW can compute expressions
110 used by the query more cheaply than can be done locally, it could add
111 those expressions to <code class="structfield">fdw_scan_tlist</code>. Note that join
112 plans (created from paths made by <code class="function">GetForeignJoinPaths</code>) must
113 always supply <code class="structfield">fdw_scan_tlist</code> to describe the set of
114 columns they will return.
116 The FDW should always construct at least one path that depends only on
117 the table's restriction clauses. In join queries, it might also choose
118 to construct path(s) that depend on join clauses, for example
119 <em class="replaceable"><code>foreign_variable</code></em> <code class="literal">=</code>
120 <em class="replaceable"><code>local_variable</code></em>. Such clauses will not be found in
121 <code class="literal">baserel->baserestrictinfo</code> but must be sought in the
122 relation's join lists. A path using such a clause is called a
123 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">parameterized path</span>”</span>. It must identify the other relations
124 used in the selected join clause(s) with a suitable value of
125 <code class="literal">param_info</code>; use <code class="function">get_baserel_parampathinfo</code>
126 to compute that value. In <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code>, the
127 <em class="replaceable"><code>local_variable</code></em> portion of the join clause would be added
128 to <code class="structfield">fdw_exprs</code>, and then at run time the case works the
129 same as for an ordinary restriction clause.
131 If an FDW supports remote joins, <code class="function">GetForeignJoinPaths</code> should
132 produce <code class="structname">ForeignPath</code>s for potential remote joins in much
133 the same way as <code class="function">GetForeignPaths</code> works for base tables.
134 Information about the intended join can be passed forward
135 to <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code> in the same ways described above.
136 However, <code class="structfield">baserestrictinfo</code> is not relevant for join
137 relations; instead, the relevant join clauses for a particular join are
138 passed to <code class="function">GetForeignJoinPaths</code> as a separate parameter
139 (<code class="literal">extra->restrictlist</code>).
141 An FDW might additionally support direct execution of some plan actions
142 that are above the level of scans and joins, such as grouping or
143 aggregation. To offer such options, the FDW should generate paths and
144 insert them into the appropriate <em class="firstterm">upper relation</em>. For
145 example, a path representing remote aggregation should be inserted into
146 the <code class="literal">UPPERREL_GROUP_AGG</code> relation, using <code class="function">add_path</code>.
147 This path will be compared on a cost basis with local aggregation
148 performed by reading a simple scan path for the foreign relation (note
149 that such a path must also be supplied, else there will be an error at
150 plan time). If the remote-aggregation path wins, which it usually would,
151 it will be converted into a plan in the usual way, by
152 calling <code class="function">GetForeignPlan</code>. The recommended place to generate
153 such paths is in the <code class="function">GetForeignUpperPaths</code>
154 callback function, which is called for each upper relation (i.e., each
155 post-scan/join processing step), if all the base relations of the query
156 come from the same FDW.
158 <code class="function">PlanForeignModify</code> and the other callbacks described in
159 <a class="xref" href="fdw-callbacks.html#FDW-CALLBACKS-UPDATE" title="58.2.4. FDW Routines for Updating Foreign Tables">Section 58.2.4</a> are designed around the assumption
160 that the foreign relation will be scanned in the usual way and then
161 individual row updates will be driven by a local <code class="literal">ModifyTable</code>
162 plan node. This approach is necessary for the general case where an
163 update requires reading local tables as well as foreign tables.
164 However, if the operation could be executed entirely by the foreign
165 server, the FDW could generate a path representing that and insert it
166 into the <code class="literal">UPPERREL_FINAL</code> upper relation, where it would
167 compete against the <code class="literal">ModifyTable</code> approach. This approach
168 could also be used to implement remote <code class="literal">SELECT FOR UPDATE</code>,
169 rather than using the row locking callbacks described in
170 <a class="xref" href="fdw-callbacks.html#FDW-CALLBACKS-ROW-LOCKING" title="58.2.6. FDW Routines for Row Locking">Section 58.2.6</a>. Keep in mind that a path
171 inserted into <code class="literal">UPPERREL_FINAL</code> is responsible for
172 implementing <span class="emphasis"><em>all</em></span> behavior of the query.
174 When planning an <code class="command">UPDATE</code> or <code class="command">DELETE</code>,
175 <code class="function">PlanForeignModify</code> and <code class="function">PlanDirectModify</code>
176 can look up the <code class="structname">RelOptInfo</code>
177 struct for the foreign table and make use of the
178 <code class="literal">baserel->fdw_private</code> data previously created by the
179 scan-planning functions. However, in <code class="command">INSERT</code> the target
180 table is not scanned so there is no <code class="structname">RelOptInfo</code> for it.
181 The <code class="structname">List</code> returned by <code class="function">PlanForeignModify</code> has
182 the same restrictions as the <code class="structfield">fdw_private</code> list of a
183 <code class="structname">ForeignScan</code> plan node, that is it must contain only
184 structures that <code class="function">copyObject</code> knows how to copy.
186 <code class="command">INSERT</code> with an <code class="literal">ON CONFLICT</code> clause does not
187 support specifying the conflict target, as unique constraints or
188 exclusion constraints on remote tables are not locally known. This
189 in turn implies that <code class="literal">ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE</code> is not supported,
190 since the specification is mandatory there.
191 </p></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="fdw-helpers.html" title="58.3. Foreign Data Wrapper Helper Functions">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="fdwhandler.html" title="Chapter 58. Writing a Foreign Data Wrapper">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="fdw-row-locking.html" title="58.5. Row Locking in Foreign Data Wrappers">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">58.3. Foreign Data Wrapper Helper Functions </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html" title="PostgreSQL 18.0 Documentation">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> 58.5. Row Locking in Foreign Data Wrappers</td></tr></table></div></body></html>