performance penalty between Postgresql 8.3.8 and 8.4.1

Hello everybody,

we have severe performance penalty between Postgresql 8.3.8 and 8.4.1

Consider the following tables:

CREATE TABLE xdf.xdf_admin_hierarchy
(
admin_place_id integer NOT NULL,
admin_order smallint NOT NULL,
iso_country_code character(3) NOT NULL,
country_id integer NOT NULL,
order1_id integer,
order2_id integer,
order8_id integer,
builtup_id integer,
num_links integer,
CONSTRAINT pk_xdf_admin_hierarchy PRIMARY KEY (admin_place_id)
)
WITH (
OIDS=FALSE
);
ALTER TABLE xdf.xdf_admin_hierarchy OWNER TO frog;

CREATE TABLE xdf.xdf_link_admin
(
admin_place_id integer NOT NULL,
link_id integer NOT NULL,
side character(1) NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT pk_xdf_link_admin PRIMARY KEY (link_id, side)
)
WITH (
OIDS=FALSE
);
ALTER TABLE xdf.xdf_link_admin OWNER TO frog;

CREATE INDEX nx_xdflinkadmin_adminplaceid
ON xdf.xdf_link_admin
USING btree
(admin_place_id);

CREATE INDEX nx_xdflinkadmin_linkid
ON xdf.xdf_link_admin
USING btree
(link_id);

CREATE TABLE xdf.xdf_road_link
(
road_link_id integer NOT NULL,
road_name_id integer,
left_address_range_id integer NOT NULL,
right_address_range_id integer NOT NULL,
address_type smallint NOT NULL,
is_exit_name character(1) NOT NULL,
explicatable character(1) NOT NULL,
is_junction_name character(1) NOT NULL,
is_name_on_roadsign character(1) NOT NULL,
is_postal_name character(1) NOT NULL,
is_stale_name character(1) NOT NULL,
is_vanity_name character(1) NOT NULL,
is_scenic_name character(1) NOT NULL,
link_id integer NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT pk_xdf_road_link PRIMARY KEY (road_link_id)
)
WITH (
OIDS=FALSE
);
ALTER TABLE xdf.xdf_road_link OWNER TO frog;

CREATE INDEX nx_xdfroadlink_leftaddressrangeid
ON xdf.xdf_road_link
USING btree
(left_address_range_id);

CREATE INDEX nx_xdfroadlink_linkid
ON xdf.xdf_road_link
USING btree
(link_id);

CREATE INDEX nx_xdfroadlink_rightaddressrangeid
ON xdf.xdf_road_link
USING btree
(right_address_range_id);

CREATE INDEX nx_xdfroadlink_roadnameid
ON xdf.xdf_road_link
USING btree
(road_name_id);

CREATE TABLE xdf.xdf_road_name
(
road_name_id integer NOT NULL,
route_type smallint NOT NULL,
attached_to_base character(1) NOT NULL,
precedes_base character(1) NOT NULL,
prefix character varying(10),
street_type character varying(30),
suffix character varying(2),
base_name character varying(60) NOT NULL,
language_code character(3) NOT NULL,
is_exonym character(1) NOT NULL,
name_type character(1) NOT NULL,
direction_on_sign character(1) NOT NULL,
street_name character varying(60) NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT pk_xdf_road_name PRIMARY KEY (road_name_id)
)
WITH (
OIDS=FALSE
);
ALTER TABLE xdf.xdf_road_name OWNER TO frog;

CREATE INDEX nx_xdfroadname_languagecode
ON xdf.xdf_road_name
USING btree
(language_code);

If one executes a query of the following structure:

SELECT AH.ORDER8_ID, AH.BUILTUP_ID, RL.LINK_ID, LA.SIDE,
RL.ROAD_NAME_ID, RL.LEFT_ADDRESS_RANGE_ID, RL.RIGHT_ADDRESS_RANGE_ID,
RL.IS_EXIT_NAME, RL.EXPLICATABLE, RL.IS_JUNCTION_NAME,
RL.IS_NAME_ON_ROADSIGN, RL.IS_POSTAL_NAME, RL.IS_STALE_NAME,
RL.IS_VANITY_NAME, RL.ROAD_LINK_ID, RN.STREET_NAME,
RN.ROUTE_TYPE
FROM xdf.xdf_ADMIN_HIERARCHY AH, xdf.xdf_LINK_ADMIN LA,
xdf.xdf_ROAD_LINK RL, xdf.xdf_ROAD_NAME RN
WHERE AH.ADMIN_PLACE_ID = LA.ADMIN_PLACE_ID
AND LA.LINK_ID = RL.LINK_ID
AND RL.ROAD_NAME_ID = RN.ROAD_NAME_ID
AND RL.IS_EXIT_NAME = 'N'
AND RL.IS_JUNCTION_NAME = 'N'
AND RN.ROAD_NAME_ID BETWEEN 158348561 AND 158348660
ORDER BY RL.ROAD_NAME_ID, AH.ORDER8_ID, AH.BUILTUP_ID, RL.LINK_ID;

It is carried out with poor performance on postgresql 8.4.1 However postgresql 8.3.8 performs just fine.
If you take a closer look at the query with EXPLAIN, it becomes obvious, that postgresql 8.4 does not
consider the primary key at level 3 and instead generates a hash join:

Postgresql 8.4.1:

Sort (cost=129346.71..129498.64 rows=60772 width=61)
Sort Key: rl.road_name_id, ah.order8_id, ah.builtup_id, rl.link_id
-> Hash Join (cost=2603.57..124518.03 rows=60772 width=61)
Hash Cond: (la.admin_place_id = ah.admin_place_id)
-> Nested Loop (cost=6.82..120781.81 rows=60772 width=57)
-> Nested Loop (cost=6.82..72383.98 rows=21451 width=51)
-> Index Scan using pk_rdf_road_name on rdf_road_name rn (cost=0.00..11.24 rows=97 width=21)
Index Cond: ((road_name_id >= 158348561) AND (road_name_id <= 158348660))
-> Bitmap Heap Scan on rdf_road_link rl (cost=6.82..743.34 rows=222 width=34)
Recheck Cond: (rl.road_name_id = rn.road_name_id)
Filter: ((rl.is_exit_name = 'N'::bpchar) AND (rl.is_junction_name = 'N'::bpchar))
-> Bitmap Index Scan on nx_rdfroadlink_roadnameid (cost=0.00..6.76 rows=222 width=0)
Index Cond: (rl.road_name_id = rn.road_name_id)
-> Index Scan using nx_rdflinkadmin_linkid on rdf_link_admin la (cost=0.00..2.22 rows=3 width=10)
Index Cond: (la.link_id = rl.link_id)
-> Hash (cost=1544.11..1544.11 rows=84211 width=12)
-> Seq Scan on rdf_admin_hierarchy ah (cost=0.00..1544.11 rows=84211 width=12)

Postgresql 8.3.8:

Sort (cost=3792.75..3792.95 rows=81 width=61)
Sort Key: rl.road_name_id, ah.order8_id, ah.builtup_id, rl.link_id
-> Nested Loop (cost=21.00..3790.18 rows=81 width=61)
-> Nested Loop (cost=21.00..3766.73 rows=81 width=57)
-> Nested Loop (cost=21.00..3733.04 rows=14 width=51)
-> Index Scan using pk_rdf_road_name on rdf_road_name rn (cost=0.00..8.32 rows=1 width=21)
Index Cond: ((road_name_id >= 158348561) AND (road_name_id <= 158348660))
-> Bitmap Heap Scan on rdf_road_link rl (cost=21.00..3711.97 rows=1020 width=34)
Recheck Cond: (rl.road_name_id = rn.road_name_id)
Filter: ((rl.is_exit_name = 'N'::bpchar) AND (rl.is_junction_name = 'N'::bpchar))
-> Bitmap Index Scan on nx_rdfroadlink_roadnameid (cost=0.00..20.75 rows=1020 width=0)
Index Cond: (rl.road_name_id = rn.road_name_id)
-> Index Scan using nx_rdflinkadmin_linkid on rdf_link_admin la (cost=0.00..2.31 rows=8 width=10)
Index Cond: (la.link_id = rl.link_id)
-> Index Scan using pk_rdf_admin_hierarchy on rdf_admin_hierarchy ah (cost=0.00..0.28 rows=1 width=12)
Index Cond: (ah.admin_place_id = la.admin_place_id)

With our data it is a performance difference from 1h16min (8.3.8) to 2h43min (8.4.1)

I hope someone can help me out with my problem. If you need further information please let me know.

Mit freundlichem Gruß / Best regards

David Schmitz
Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
Software Developer New Map Compiler

HARMAN/BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS
innovative systems GmbH
Hugh-Greene-Weg 2-4 - 22529 Hamburg - Germany
Phone: +49 (0)40-30067-990
Fax: +49 (0)40-30067-969
Mailto:DaSchmitz(at)harmanbecker(dot)com

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innovative systems GmbH Navigation-Multimedia
Geschaeftsfuehrung: Edwin Summers - Michael Juergen Mauser
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Hamburg - Registergericht: Hamburg HRB 59980

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