Duplicating an equivalent ANY predicate changes a semijoin into a slower per-row SubPlan

From: 陈列行 <2320415112(at)qq(dot)com>
To: pgsql-hackers <pgsql-hackers(at)lists(dot)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Duplicating an equivalent ANY predicate changes a semijoin into a slower per-row SubPlan
Date: 2026-08-17 08:00:46
Message-ID: tencent_C6C91A262C91D2D5111B48762270194A8A06@qq.com
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## Description

This issue concerns an idempotent Boolean rewrite such as `P OR P`, which is
logically equivalent to `P`. PostgreSQL simplifies the displayed filter to a
single predicate, but the redundant SQL form can still receive a different
and slower execution strategy. Three independently generated cases exhibited
the same order-stable slowdown.

### Expected Behaviour

PostgreSQL should canonicalize an idempotent Boolean expression before
selecting the access and join strategy. `P` and `P OR P` should therefore
produce equivalent plans and comparable execution times, particularly when
`P` contains an uncorrelated `ANY` subquery.

### Actual Behaviour

In the standalone case below, the original predicate uses a `Nested Loop
Semi Join`. After the same predicate is duplicated with `OR`, PostgreSQL
uses a sequential scan with a per-row materialized `SubPlan`. Although the
final plan displays only one copy of the predicate, execution time increases
from 3,577.467 ms to 4,157.191 ms, approximately 16.2%.

All three remained slower in both execution orders (`order_stable: True`).

## How to repeat

Run the following complete SQL in a new PostgreSQL session:

```sql
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS duplicate_operand_outer;
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS duplicate_operand_inner;

CREATE TABLE duplicate_operand_outer (
&nbsp; &nbsp;v INTEGER NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE duplicate_operand_inner (
&nbsp; &nbsp;v INTEGER NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO duplicate_operand_outer (v)
SELECT 1
FROM generate_series(1, 1000);

INSERT INTO duplicate_operand_inner (v)
SELECT 1
FROM generate_series(1, 100000);

ANALYZE duplicate_operand_outer;
ANALYZE duplicate_operand_inner;

-- Original predicate P. The result is 0.
EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS, VERBOSE, SETTINGS, TIMING OFF)
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM duplicate_operand_outer AS o
WHERE o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp;SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp;FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i## Description

This issue concerns an idempotent Boolean rewrite such as `P OR P`, which is
logically equivalent to `P`. PostgreSQL simplifies the displayed filter to a
single predicate, but the redundant SQL form can still receive a different
and slower execution strategy. Three independently generated cases exhibited
the same order-stable slowdown.

### Expected Behaviour

PostgreSQL should canonicalize an idempotent Boolean expression before
selecting the access and join strategy. `P` and `P OR P` should therefore
produce equivalent plans and comparable execution times, particularly when
`P` contains an uncorrelated `ANY` subquery.

### Actual Behaviour

In the standalone case below, the original predicate uses a `Nested Loop
Semi Join`. After the same predicate is duplicated with `OR`, PostgreSQL
uses a sequential scan with a per-row materialized `SubPlan`. Although the
final plan displays only one copy of the predicate, execution time increases
from 3,577.467 ms to 4,157.191 ms, approximately 16.2%.

All three remained slower in both execution orders (`order_stable: True`).

## How to repeat

Run the following complete SQL in a new PostgreSQL session:

```sql
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS duplicate_operand_outer;
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS duplicate_operand_inner;

CREATE TABLE duplicate_operand_outer (
&nbsp; &nbsp; v INTEGER NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE duplicate_operand_inner (
&nbsp; &nbsp; v INTEGER NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO duplicate_operand_outer (v)
SELECT 1
FROM generate_series(1, 1000);

INSERT INTO duplicate_operand_inner (v)
SELECT 1
FROM generate_series(1, 100000);

ANALYZE duplicate_operand_outer;
ANALYZE duplicate_operand_inner;

-- Original predicate P. The result is 0.
EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS, VERBOSE, SETTINGS, TIMING OFF)
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM duplicate_operand_outer AS o
WHERE o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp; SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp; FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i
);

-- Idempotent rewrite P OR P. The result is also 0.
EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS, VERBOSE, SETTINGS, TIMING OFF)
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM duplicate_operand_outer AS o
WHERE o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp; SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp; FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i
)
OR o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp; SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp; FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i
);
```

On the tested version, the characteristic plans and timings are:

```text
P:
&nbsp; Nested Loop Semi Join
&nbsp; Execution Time: 3577.467 ms

P OR P:
&nbsp; Seq Scan on duplicate_operand_outer
&nbsp; Filter: ANY (... SubPlan 1 ...)
&nbsp; Execution Time: 4157.191 ms
```
);

-- Idempotent rewrite P OR P. The result is also 0.
EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS, VERBOSE, SETTINGS, TIMING OFF)
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM duplicate_operand_outer AS o
WHERE o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp;SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp;FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i
)
OR o.v <&gt; ANY (
&nbsp; &nbsp;SELECT i.v
&nbsp; &nbsp;FROM duplicate_operand_inner AS i
);
```

On the tested version, the characteristic plans and timings are:

```text
P:
&nbsp;Nested Loop Semi Join
&nbsp;Execution Time: 3577.467 ms

P OR P:
&nbsp;Seq Scan on duplicate_operand_outer
&nbsp;Filter: ANY (... SubPlan 1 ...)
&nbsp;Execution Time: 4157.191 ms
```

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