Query Plan far worse in 7.3.2 than 7.2.1

Dear Gurus,

A nasty query and its EXPLAINs are here. Read on at your own risk :)

ABSTRACT:

Search for the strings "looping index scan" and "loops=2310" in this
message.

DETAILS:

Yesteray, I spent two hours to optimize a view in postgresql 7.2.1. My
problem was that one of the index scans executed 2358 times, which is (as
far as I can consider) equal to 2x1179, where 2 is the #rows in a subquery,
and 1179 is the total #rows in the table of the index scan ("arfolyam").

Finally I managed to put it as deep in the query as possible, to reduce the
loops to the number of query result rows (12)

However, when I tried the same query in 7.3.2, it first complained about a
missing FROM clause and a missing GROUP BY for a field. I managed to
eliminate both without affecting 7.2.1 performance, but in 7.3.2, there are
still those 2300+ loops of the index scan.

I ask your kind help, explanation or references to documented similar cases.

Below is the query and the two explains. Please forgive the raw format.
If you need further info (such as table defs), I'd be glad to help.

Note that the two databases are not exactly the same but very similar (they
where the same 2 weeks ago, but data changes occured in both, independently)
and I don't think these differences should affect the planner.

Yours,
G.
--
while (!asleep()) sheep++;

---------------------------- QUERY -----------------------------------
SELECT *,
kerekit_penznem (netto_ertek*(afa_szazalek/100), penznem) AS afa_ertek,
kerekit_penznem (netto_ertek*(1+afa_szazalek/100), penznem) AS
brutto_ertek
FROM (
SELECT szamla,
kerekit_penznem(
elsodl_netto_ertek*COALESCE(deka,1)/COALESCE(dekb,1), penznem)
AS netto_ertek,
konyvelesi_tetelcsoport, afa, afa_szazalek, penznem
FROM
(SELECT szt.szamla,
kerekit_penznem(sum(szt.netto_egysegar * szt.mennyiseg), penznem)
AS elsodl_netto_ertek,
konyvelesi_tetelcsoport(szt.szamla, szt.tetelszam)
AS konyvelesi_tetelcsoport,
szt.afa, afa.ertek AS afa_szazalek,
szamla.penznem AS sz_penznem,
szamla.teljesites AS sz_teljesites,
arf_a.deviza_kozeparfolyam as deka,
arf_b.deviza_kozeparfolyam as dekb,
foo_valuta AS penznem
FROM szamla_tetele szt
LEFT JOIN szamla ON (szamla = szamla.az)
LEFT JOIN afa ON (afa.az = szt.afa)
LEFT JOIN arfolyam arf_a
ON (arf_a.ervenyes =
(SELECT ervenyes FROM arfolyam
WHERE ervenyes<=szamla.teljesites AND valuta = szamla.penznem
ORDER BY 1 DESC LIMIT 1)
AND szamla.penznem=arf_a.valuta)
JOIN
(SELECT az AS foo_valuta FROM valuta) AS valuta ON (true)
LEFT JOIN arfolyam arf_b
ON (arf_b.valuta=foo_valuta AND
arf_b.ervenyes =
-- this is the looping index scan --
(SELECT ervenyes FROM arfolyam
WHERE ervenyes<=szamla.teljesites AND valuta = foo_valuta
ORDER BY 1 DESC LIMIT 1)
-- end of looping index scan --
)
WHERE (NOT szt.archiv) AND
(foo_valuta = 4 or arf_b.valuta notnull
)
GROUP BY szt.szamla, konyvelesi_tetelcsoport, szt.afa,
sz_penznem, sz_teljesites, afa.ertek,
arf_a.deviza_kozeparfolyam, arf_b.deviza_kozeparfolyam, foo_valuta,
penznem
) foo
) bar
WHERE szamla=2380;

---------------------------- 7.2.1 PLAN ------------------------------
Subquery Scan foo (cost=488.97..490.94 rows=8 width=104) (actual
time=94.77..109.10 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Aggregate (cost=488.97..490.94 rows=8 width=104) (actual
time=89.29..92.05 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Group (cost=488.97..490.74 rows=79 width=104) (actual
time=88.13..88.59 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Sort (cost=488.97..488.97 rows=79 width=104) (actual time=88.09..88.13
rows=12 loops=1)
-> Nested Loop (cost=1.05..486.50 rows=79 width=104) (actual
time=28.23..86.20 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Nested Loop (cost=1.05..150.19 rows=79 width=84) (actual
time=12.68..25.41 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Nested Loop (cost=1.05..135.52 rows=13 width=80) (actual
time=12.60..24.80 rows=2 loops=1)
-> Hash Join (cost=1.05..79.59 rows=13 width=60) (actual
time=0.55..0.80 rows=2 loops=1)
-> Nested Loop (cost=0.00..78.31 rows=13 width=46) (actual
time=0.23..0.42 rows=2 loops=1)
-> Index Scan using szml_ttl_szml on szamla_tetele szt
(cost=0.00..3.51 rows=13 width=34) (actual time=0.11..0.16 rows=2 loops=1)
-> Index Scan using szamla_az_key on szamla (cost=0.00..5.70 rows=1
width=12) (actual time=0.07..0.09 rows=1 loops=2)
-> Hash (cost=1.04..1.04 rows=4 width=14) (actual time=0.14..0.14
rows=0 loops=1)
-> Seq Scan on afa (cost=0.00..1.04 rows=4 width=14) (actual
time=0.08..0.11 rows=4 loops=1)
-> Index Scan using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam arf_a
(cost=0.00..3.63 rows=3 width=20) (actual time=0.01..0.01 rows=0 loops=2)
SubPlan
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.17 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=11.92..11.92
rows=0 loops=2)
-> Index Scan Backward using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam
(cost=0.00..13.30 rows=79 width=4) (actual time=11.90..11.90 rows=0 loops=2)
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.17 rows=1 width=4)
-> Index Scan Backward using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam
(cost=0.00..13.30 rows=79 width=4)
-> Seq Scan on valuta (cost=0.00..1.06 rows=6 width=4) (actual
time=0.02..0.11 rows=6 loops=2)
-> Index Scan using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam arf_b (cost=0.00..3.63
rows=3 width=20) (actual time=0.04..0.10 rows=3 loops=12)
SubPlan
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.17 rows=1 width=4) (actual time=4.35..4.39
rows=1 loops=12)
-> Index Scan Backward using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam
(cost=0.00..13.30 rows=79 width=4) (actual time=4.33..4.37 rows=2 loops=12)
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.17 rows=1 width=4)
-> Index Scan Backward using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam
(cost=0.00..13.30 rows=79 width=4)
Total runtime: 111.48 msec

---------------------------- 7.3.2 PLAN ------------------------------
Subquery Scan foo (cost=14542.01..15448.46 rows=3022 width=123) (actual
time=2264.36..2282.17 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Aggregate (cost=14542.01..15448.46 rows=3022 width=123) (actual
time=2257.70..2261.08 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Group (cost=14542.01..15372.92 rows=30215 width=123) (actual
time=2256.31..2256.84 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Sort (cost=14542.01..14617.55 rows=30215 width=123)
(actual time=2256.27..2256.31 rows=12 loops=1)
Sort Key: szt.szamla,
konyvelesi_tetelcsoport(szt.szamla, szt.tetelszam), szt.afa, szamla.penznem,
szamla.teljesites, afa.ertek, arf_a.deviza_kozeparfolyam,
arf_b.deviza_kozeparfolyam, public.valuta.az
-> Merge Join (cost=4755.50..11038.79 rows=30215
width=123) (actual time=80.88..2254.96 rows=12 loops=1)
Merge Cond: ("outer".az = "inner".valuta)
Join Filter: ("inner".ervenyes = (subplan))
Filter: (("outer".az = 4) OR ("inner".valuta IS
NOT NULL))
-> Sort (cost=4676.19..4751.73 rows=30215
width=103) (actual time=56.41..56.44 rows=12 loops=1)
Sort Key: public.valuta.az
-> Nested Loop (cost=433.35..1375.92
rows=30215 width=103) (actual time=55.78..56.18 rows=12 loops=1)
-> Merge Join (cost=433.35..469.47
rows=30 width=99) (actual time=55.68..55.72 rows=2 loops=1)
Merge Cond: ("outer".penznem =
"inner".valuta)
Join Filter: ("inner".ervenyes
= (subplan))
-> Sort (cost=354.05..354.12
rows=30 width=79) (actual time=32.63..32.64 rows=2 loops=1)
Sort Key: szamla.penznem
-> Hash Join
(cost=121.67..353.30 rows=30 width=79) (actual time=32.37..32.49 rows=2
loops=1)
Hash Cond:
("outer".afa = "inner".az)
-> Merge Join
(cost=120.62..352.09 rows=30 width=58) (actual time=32.07..32.16 rows=2
loops=1)
Merge Cond:
("outer".az = "inner".szamla)
-> Sort
(cost=120.62..123.85 rows=1291 width=12) (actual time=25.62..27.62 rows=1285
loops=1)
Sort
Key: szamla.az
-> Seq
Scan on szamla (cost=0.00..53.91 rows=1291 width=12) (actual
time=0.04..16.46 rows=1314 loops=1)
-> Index
Scan using szamla_tetele_pkey on szamla_tetele szt (cost=0.00..218.88
rows=30 width=46) (actual time=0.13..0.18 rows=2 loops=1)
Index
Cond: (szamla = 2380)
Filter:
(NOT archiv)
-> Hash
(cost=1.04..1.04 rows=4 width=21) (actual time=0.10..0.10 rows=0 loops=1)
-> Seq Scan
on afa (cost=0.00..1.04 rows=4 width=21) (actual time=0.04..0.07 rows=4
loops=1)
-> Sort (cost=79.30..82.19
rows=1155 width=20) (actual time=22.93..22.93 rows=1 loops=1)
Sort Key: arf_a.valuta
-> Seq Scan on arfolyam
arf_a (cost=0.00..20.55 rows=1155 width=20) (actual time=0.03..9.66
rows=1155 loops=1)
SubPlan
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.16
rows=1 width=4) (never executed)
-> Index Scan Backward
using arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam (cost=0.00..12.17 rows=77 width=4)
(never executed)
Index Cond:
(ervenyes <= $0)
Filter: (valuta =
$1)
-> Seq Scan on valuta
(cost=0.00..20.00 rows=1000 width=4) (actual time=0.02..0.06 rows=6 loops=2)
-> Sort (cost=79.30..82.19 rows=1155 width=20)
(actual time=21.98..27.54 rows=2309 loops=1)
Sort Key: arf_b.valuta
-> Seq Scan on arfolyam arf_b
(cost=0.00..20.55 rows=1155 width=20) (actual time=0.03..9.89 rows=1155
loops=1)
SubPlan
-> Limit (cost=0.00..0.16 rows=1 width=4)
(actual time=0.88..0.91 rows=1 loops=2310)
-> Index Scan Backward using
arfolyam_ervenyes on arfolyam (cost=0.00..12.17 rows=77 width=4) (actual
time=0.87..0.90 rows=2 loops=2310)
Index Cond: (ervenyes <= $0)
Filter: (valuta = $2)
Total runtime: 2287.30 msec