Better way to bulk-load millions of CSV records into postgres?

From: Ron Johnson <ron(dot)l(dot)johnson(at)cox(dot)net>
To: PgSQL Novice ML <pgsql-novice(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Better way to bulk-load millions of CSV records into postgres?
Date: 2002-05-21 20:40:00
Message-ID: 1022013600.16609.61.camel@rebel
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Hi,

Currently, I've got a python script using pyPgSQL that
parses the CSV record, creates a string that is a big
"INSERT INTO VALUES (...)" command, then, execute() it.

top shows that this method uses postmaster with ~70% CPU
utilization, and python with ~15% utilization.

Still, it's only inserting ~190 recs/second. Is there a
better way to do this, or am I constrained by the hardware?

Instead of python and postmaster having to do a ton of data
xfer over sockets, I'm wondering if there's a way to send a
large number of csv records (4000, for example) in one big
chunk to a stored procedure and have the engine process it
all.

Linux 2.4.18
PostgreSQL 7.2.1
python 2.1.3
csv file on /dev/hda
table on /dev/hde (ATA/100)

--
+---------------------------------------------------------+
| Ron Johnson, Jr. Home: ron(dot)l(dot)johnson(at)cox(dot)net |
| Jefferson, LA USA http://ronandheather.dhs.org:81 |
| |
| "I have created a government of whirled peas..." |
| Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 12-May-2002, |
! CNN, Larry King Live |
+---------------------------------------------------------+

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