Re: logical replication empty transactions

Hi Ajin.

I have reviewed the v8 patch and my feedback comments are below:

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1. Apply v8 gave multiple whitespace warnings.

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2. Commit comment - wording

If (when processing a COMMIT / PREPARE message) we find there had been
no other change for that transaction, then do not send the COMMIT /
PREPARE message. This means that pgoutput will skip BEGIN / COMMIT
or BEGIN PREPARE / PREPARE messages for transactions that are empty.

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Shouldn't this also mention some other messages that may be skipped?
- COMMIT PREPARED
- ROLLBACK PREPARED

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3. doc/src/sgml/logicaldecoding.sgml - wording

@@ -884,11 +884,20 @@ typedef void (*LogicalDecodePrepareCB) (struct
LogicalDecodingContext *ctx,
The required <function>commit_prepared_cb</function> callback is called
whenever a transaction <command>COMMIT PREPARED</command> has
been decoded.
The <parameter>gid</parameter> field, which is part of the
- <parameter>txn</parameter> parameter, can be used in this callback.
+ <parameter>txn</parameter> parameter, can be used in this callback. The
+ parameters <parameter>prepare_end_lsn</parameter> and
+ <parameter>prepare_time</parameter> can be used to check if the plugin
+ has received this <command>PREPARE TRANSACTION</command> command or not.
+ If yes, it can commit the transaction, otherwise, it can skip the commit.
+ The <parameter>gid</parameter> alone is not sufficient to determine this
+ because the downstream may already have a prepared transaction with the
+ same identifier.

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Typo: Should that say "downstream node" instead of just "downstream" ?

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4. src/backend/replication/pgoutput/pgoutput.c - pgoutput_begin_txn
callback comment

@@ -406,14 +413,38 @@ pgoutput_startup(LogicalDecodingContext *ctx,
OutputPluginOptions *opt,

/*
* BEGIN callback
+ * Don't send BEGIN message here. Instead, postpone it until the first
+ * change. In logical replication, a common scenario is to replicate a set
+ * of tables (instead of all tables) and transactions whose changes were on

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Typo: "BEGIN callback" --> "BEGIN callback." (with the period).

And, I think maybe it will be better if it has a separating blank line too.

e.g.

/*
* BEGIN callback.
*
* Don't send BEGIN ....

(NOTE: this review comment applies to other callback function comments
too, so please hunt them all down)

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5. src/backend/replication/pgoutput/pgoutput.c - data / txndata

static void
pgoutput_begin_txn(LogicalDecodingContext *ctx, ReorderBufferTXN *txn)
{
+ PGOutputTxnData *data = MemoryContextAllocZero(ctx->context,
+ sizeof(PGOutputTxnData));

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There is some inconsistent naming of the local variable in the patch.
Sometimes it is called "data"; Sometimes it is called "txdata" etc. It
would be better to just stick with the same variable name everywhere.

(NOTE: this comment applies to several places in this patch)

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6. src/backend/replication/pgoutput/pgoutput.c - Strange way to use Assert

+ /* If not streaming, should have setup txndata as part of
BEGIN/BEGIN PREPARE */
+ if (!in_streaming)
+ Assert(txndata);
+

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This style of Assert code seemed strange to me. In production mode
isn't that going to evaluate to some condition with a ((void) true)
body? IMO it might be better to just include the streaming check as
part of the Assert. For example:

BEFORE
if (!in_streaming)
Assert(txndata);

AFTER
Assert(in_streaming || txndata);

(NOTE: This same review comment applies in at least 3 places in this
patch, so please hunt them all down)

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7. src/backend/replication/pgoutput/pgoutput.c - comment wording

@@ -677,6 +810,18 @@ pgoutput_change(LogicalDecodingContext *ctx,
ReorderBufferTXN *txn,
Assert(false);
}

+ /*
+ * output BEGIN / BEGIN PREPARE if we haven't yet,
+ * while streaming no need to send BEGIN / BEGIN PREPARE.
+ */
+ if (!in_streaming && !txndata->sent_begin_txn)

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English not really that comment is. The comment should also start with
uppercase.

(NOTE: This same comment was in couple of places in the patch)

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Kind Regards,
Peter Smith.
Fujitsu Australia