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-rw-r--r--src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c26
-rw-r--r--src/include/nodes/relation.h9
2 files changed, 29 insertions, 6 deletions
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c b/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c
index 996c197350c..29f11dcd1c4 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
*
*
* IDENTIFICATION
- * $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c,v 1.1 1999/02/20 15:27:42 momjian Exp $
+ * $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/optimizer/path/pathkeys.c,v 1.2 1999/02/20 16:28:20 momjian Exp $
*
*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
#include "optimizer/joininfo.h"
#include "optimizer/ordering.h"
-
static int match_pathkey_joinkeys(List *pathkey, List *joinkeys,
int outer_or_inner);
static bool joinkeys_pathkeys_match(List *joinkeys, List *pathkey,
@@ -35,6 +34,29 @@ static List *new_join_pathkey(List *subkeys, List *considered_subkeys,
static List *new_matching_subkeys(Var *subkey, List *considered_subkeys,
List *join_rel_tlist, List *joinclauses);
+
+/*
+ * Explanation of Path.pathkeys
+ *
+ * This structure is a List of List of Var nodes that represent the sort
+ * order of the result generated by the Path.
+ *
+ * In single/base relation RelOptInfo's, the Path's represent various ways
+ * of generate the relation. Sequential scan Paths have a NIL pathkeys.
+ * Index scans have Path.pathkeys that represent the chosen index. A
+ * single-key index pathkeys would be { {tab1_indexkey1} }. The pathkeys
+ * entry for a multi-key index would be { {tab1_indexkey1}, {tab1_indexkey2} }.
+ *
+ * Multi-relation RelOptInfo Path's are more complicated. Mergejoins are
+ * only performed with equajoins("="). Because of this, the multi-relation
+ * path actually has more than one ordering. For example, a mergejoin Path
+ * of "tab1.col1 = tab2.col1" would generate a pathkeys of
+ * { {tab1.col1, tab2.col1} }. This allows future joins to use either Var
+ * as a pre-sorted key to prevent Mergejoins from having to re-sort the Path.
+ * They are equal, so they are both primary sort keys. This is why pathkeys
+ * is a List of Lists.
+ */
+
/****************************************************************************
* KEY COMPARISONS
****************************************************************************/
diff --git a/src/include/nodes/relation.h b/src/include/nodes/relation.h
index 32c90392de3..f9818339b0c 100644
--- a/src/include/nodes/relation.h
+++ b/src/include/nodes/relation.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
*
* Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
*
- * $Id: relation.h,v 1.26 1999/02/18 00:49:38 momjian Exp $
+ * $Id: relation.h,v 1.27 1999/02/20 16:28:20 momjian Exp $
*
*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
@@ -142,9 +142,10 @@ typedef struct Path
PathOrder *pathorder;
- List *pathkeys; /* This is a List of List of Var nodes.
- * It is a List of Lists because of multi-key
- * indexes.
+ List *pathkeys; /*
+ * This is a List of List of Var nodes.
+ * See the top of optimizer/path/pathkeys.c
+ * for more information.
*/
Cost outerjoincost;
Relids joinid;