Message-ID: <4612CB72.6010804@modgraph-usa.com>
Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:47:30 -0700
From: "Craig A. James" <cjames@modgraph-usa.com>
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To: Kevin Grittner <Kevin.Grittner@wicourts.gov>
CC: pgsql-performance@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] EXISTS optimization
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Kevin Grittner wrote:
> Management has simply given a mandate that the software be independent
> of OS and database vendor, and to use Java to help with the OS independence.
> ... we write all of our queries in ANSI SQL in our own query tool, parse it,
> and generate Java classes to run it.

A better solution, and one I've used for years, is to use OS- or database-specific features, but carefully encapsulate them in a single module, for example, "database_specific.java".

For example, when I started supporting both Oracle and Postgres, I encountered the MAX() problem, which (at the time) was very slow in Postgres, but could be replaced by "select X from MYTABLE order by X desc limit 1".  So I created a function, "GetColumnMax()" that encapsulates the database-specific code for this.  Similar functions encapsulate and a number of other database-specific optimizations.

Another excellent example: I have a function called "TableExists(name)".  To the best of my knowledge, there simply is no ANSI SQL for this, so what do you do?  Encapsulate it in one place.

The result?  When I port to a new system, I know exactly where to find all of the non-ANSI SQL.  I started this habit years ago with C/C++ code, which has the same problem: System calls are not consistent across the varients of Unix, Windows, and other OS's.  So you put them all in one file called "machine_dependent.c".

Remember the old adage: There is no such thing as portable code, only code that has been ported.

Cheers,
Craig