Postgres index timestamp with timezone column - postgresql

I'm running PostgreSQL 9.6, and I have a table named decks with an expiration column of type timestamp with time zone (for storing decks of cards where each card can expire independently).
I'd like to create a nightly cron job that finds all cards which expired at any point during the previous day—i.e. between 0:00 and 23:59 inclusive.
This seems to gives me the time range I want...
SELECT id
FROM decks
WHERE expiration >= (now()::date - 1)::timestamptz
AND expiration < (now()::date)::timestamptz;
...but I'm wondering two things:
What's the best way to index the expiration column for my scenario?
Is there a better/cleaner way to specify the start and end times?

Question 1: For that query, a standard index is the best option. However, see below.
Question 2: Lots of options, here. A quick change to your query:
SELECT id
FROM decks
WHERE expiration::date = (now()::date - 1);
... allows you to create a functional index on expiration::date which should be smaller, and a bit more efficient.
Personally, I'd go a bit further and use current_date instead of now():
SELECT id
FROM decks
WHERE expiration::date = (current_date - 1);
As always, I recommend use of EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE when evaluating indexes.

Related

Get max timestamps efficiently for large table for a set of ids

I have a large PostgreSQL db table (Actually lots of partition tables divided up by yearly quarters) that for simplicity sake is defined something like
id bigint
ts (timestamp)
value (float)
For a particular set of ids what is an efficient way of finding the last timestamp in the table for each specified id ?
The table is indexed by (id, timestamp)
If I do something naive like
SELECT sensor_id, MAX(ts)
FROM sensor_values
WHERE ts >= (NOW() + INTERVAL '-100 days') :: TIMESTAMPTZ
GROUP BY 1;
Things are pretty slow.
Is there a way of perhaps narrowing down the times first by a binary search of one id
(I can assume the timestamps are similar for a particular set of ids)
I am accessing the db through psycopg so the solution can be in code or SQL if I am missing something easy to speed this up.
The explain for the query can be seen here. https://explain.depesz.com/s/PVqg
Any ideas appreciated.

Postgres combining date and time fields, is this efficient

I am selecting rows based on a date range which is held in a string using the below SQL which works but is this a efficient way of doing it. As you can see the date and time is held in different fields. From my memory or doing Oracle work as soon as you put a function around a attribute it cant use indexes.
select *
from events
where venue_id = '2'
and EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM (start_date + start_time))
between EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM ('2017-09-01 00:00')::timestamp)
and EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM ('2017-09-30 00:00')::timestamp)
So is there a way of doing this that can use indexes?
Preface: Since your query is limited to a single venue_id, both examples below create a compound index with venue_id first.
If you want an index for improving that query, you can create an expression index:
CREATE INDEX events_start_idx
ON events (venue_id, (EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM (start_date + start_time))));
If you don't want a dedicated function index, you can create a normal index on the start_date column, and add extra logic to use the index. The index will then limit access plan to date range, and fringe records with wrong time of day on first and last dates are filtered out.
In the following, I'm also eliminating the unnecessary extraction of epoch.
CREATE INDEX events_venue_start
ON events (venue_id, start_date);
SELECT *
FROM events
WHERE venue_id = '2'
AND start_date BETWEEN '2017-09-01'::date AND '2017-09-30'::date
AND start_date + start_time BETWEEN '2017-09-01 00:00'::timestamp
AND '2017-09-30 00:00'::timestamp
The first two parts of the WHERE clause will use the index to full benefit. the last part is then use the filter the records found by the index.

Calculate the sum of time column in PostgreSql

Can anyone suggest me, the easiest way to find summation of time field in POSTGRESQL. i just find a solution for MYSQL but i need the POSTGRESQL version.
MYSQL: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3054943/calculate-sum-time-with-mysql
SELECT SEC_TO_TIME(SUM(TIME_TO_SEC(timespent))) FROM myTable;
Demo Data
id time
1 1:23:23
2 4:00:23
3 9:23:23
Desired Output
14:47:09
What you want, is not possible. But you probably misunderstood the time type: it represents a precise time-point in a day. It doesn't make much sense, to add two (or more) times. f.ex. '14:00' + '14:00' = '28:00' (but there are no 28th hour in a day).
What you probably want, is interval (which represents time intervals; hours, minutes, or even years). sum() supports interval arguments.
If you use intervals, it's just that simple:
SELECT sum(interval_col) FROM my_table;
Although, if you stick to the time type (but you have no reason to do that), you can cast it to interval to calculate with it:
SELECT sum(time_col::interval) FROM my_table;
But again, the result will be interval, because time values cannot exceed the 24th hour in a day.
Note: PostgreSQL will even do the cast for you, so sum(time_col) should work too, but the result is interval in this case too.
I tried this solution on sql fieddle:
link
Table creation:
CREATE TABLE time_table (
id integer, time time
);
Insert data:
INSERT INTO time_table (id,time) VALUES
(1,'1:23:23'),
(2,'4:00:23'),
(3,'9:23:23')
query the data:
SELECT
sum(s.time)
FROM
time_table s;
If you need to calculate sum of some field, according another field, you can do this:
select
keyfield,
sum(time_col::interval) totaltime
FROM myTable
GROUP by keyfield
Output example:
keyfield; totaltime
"Gabriel"; "10:00:00"
"John"; "36:00:00"
"Joseph"; "180:00:00"
Data type of totaltime is interval.

Add datetime constraint to a PostgreSQL multi-column partial index

I've got a PostgreSQL table called queries_query, which has many columns.
Two of these columns, created and user_sid, are frequently used together in SQL queries by my application to determine how many queries a given user has done over the past 30 days. It is very, very rare that I query these stats for any time older than the most recent 30 days.
Here is my question:
I've currently created my multi-column index on these two columns by running:
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY some_index_name ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
But I'd like to further restrict the index to only care about those queries in which the created date is within the past 30 days. I've tried doing the following:
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY some_index_name ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
WHERE created >= NOW() - '30 days'::INTERVAL`
But this throws an exception stating that my function must be immutable.
I'd love to get this working so that I can optimize my index, and cut back on the resources Postgres needs to do these repeated queries.
You get an exception using now() because the function is not IMMUTABLE (obviously) and, quoting the manual:
All functions and operators used in an index definition must be "immutable" ...
I see two ways to utilize a (much more efficient) partial index:
1. Partial index with condition using constant date:
CREATE INDEX queries_recent_idx ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
WHERE created > '2013-01-07 00:00'::timestamp;
Assuming created is actually defined as timestamp. It wouldn't work to provide a timestamp constant for a timestamptz column (timestamp with time zone). The cast from timestamp to timestamptz (or vice versa) depends on the current time zone setting and is not immutable. Use a constant of matching data type. Understand the basics of timestamps with / without time zone:
Ignoring time zones altogether in Rails and PostgreSQL
Drop and recreate that index at hours with low traffic, maybe with a cron job on a daily or weekly basis (or whatever is good enough for you). Creating an index is pretty fast, especially a partial index that is comparatively small. This solution also doesn't need to add anything to the table.
Assuming no concurrent access to the table, automatic index recreation could be done with a function like this:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION f_index_recreate()
RETURNS void
LANGUAGE plpgsql AS
$func$
BEGIN
DROP INDEX IF EXISTS queries_recent_idx;
EXECUTE format('
CREATE INDEX queries_recent_idx
ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
WHERE created > %L::timestamp'
, LOCALTIMESTAMP - interval '30 days'); -- timestamp constant
-- , now() - interval '30 days'); -- alternative for timestamptz
END
$func$;
Call:
SELECT f_index_recreate();
now() (like you had) is the equivalent of CURRENT_TIMESTAMP and returns timestamptz. Cast to timestamp with now()::timestamp or use LOCALTIMESTAMP instead.
Select today's (since midnight) timestamps only
db<>fiddle here
Old sqlfiddle
If you have to deal with concurrent access to the table, use DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY and CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY. But you can't wrap these commands into a function because, per documentation:
... a regular CREATE INDEX command can be performed within a
transaction block, but CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY cannot.
So, with two separate transactions:
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY queries_recent_idx2 ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
WHERE created > '2013-01-07 00:00'::timestamp; -- your new condition
Then:
DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY IF EXISTS queries_recent_idx;
Optionally, rename to old name:
ALTER INDEX queries_recent_idx2 RENAME TO queries_recent_idx;
2. Partial index with condition on "archived" tag
Add an archived tag to your table:
ALTER queries_query ADD COLUMN archived boolean NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE;
UPDATE the column at intervals of your choosing to "retire" older rows and create an index like:
CREATE INDEX some_index_name ON queries_query (user_sid, created)
WHERE NOT archived;
Add a matching condition to your queries (even if it seems redundant) to allow it to use the index. Check with EXPLAIN ANALYZE whether the query planner catches on - it should be able to use the index for queries on an newer date. But it won't understand more complex conditions not matching exactly.
You don't have to drop and recreate the index, but the UPDATE on the table may be more expensive than index recreation and the table gets slightly bigger.
I would go with the first option (index recreation). In fact, I am using this solution in several databases. The second incurs more costly updates.
Both solutions retain their usefulness over time, performance slowly deteriorates as more outdated rows are included in the index.

Using DATEDIFF in T-SQL

I am using DATEDIFF in an SQL statement. I am selecting it, and I need to use it in WHERE clause as well. This statement does not work...
SELECT DATEDIFF(ss, BegTime, EndTime) AS InitialSave
FROM MyTable
WHERE InitialSave <= 10
It gives the message: Invalid column name "InitialSave"
But this statement works fine...
SELECT DATEDIFF(ss, BegTime, EndTime) AS InitialSave
FROM MyTable
WHERE DATEDIFF(ss, BegTime, EndTime) <= 10
The programmer in me says that this is inefficient (seems like I am calling the function twice).
So two questions. Why doesn't the first statement work? Is it inefficient to do it using the second statement?
Note: When I originally wrote this answer I said that an index on one of the columns could create a query that performs better than other answers (and mentioned Dan Fuller's). However, I was not thinking 100% correctly. The fact is, without a computed column or indexed (materialized) view, a full table scan is going to be required, because the two date columns being compared are from the same table!
I believe there is still value in the information below, namely 1) the possibility of improved performance in the right situation, as when the comparison is between columns from different tables, and 2) promoting the habit in SQL developers of following best practice and reshaping their thinking in the right direction.
Making Conditions Sargable
The best practice I'm referring to is one of moving one column to be alone on one side of the comparison operator, like so:
SELECT InitialSave = DateDiff(second, T.BegTime, T.EndTime)
FROM dbo.MyTable T
WHERE T.EndTime <= T.BegTime + '00:00:10'
As I said, this will not avoid a scan on a single table, however, in a situation like this it could make a huge difference:
SELECT InitialSave = DateDiff(second, T.BegTime, T.EndTime)
FROM
dbo.BeginTime B
INNER JOIN dbo.EndTime E
ON B.BeginTime <= E.EndTime
AND B.BeginTime + '00:00:10' > E.EndTime
EndTime is in both conditions now alone on one side of the comparison. Assuming that the BeginTime table has many fewer rows, and the EndTime table has an index on column EndTime, this will perform far, far better than anything using DateDiff(second, B.BeginTime, E.EndTime). It is now sargable, which means there is a valid "search argument"--so as the engine scans the BeginTime table, it can seek into the EndTime table. Careful selection of which column is by itself on one side of the operator is required--it can be worth experimenting by putting BeginTime by itself by doing some algebra to switch to AND B.BeginTime > E.EndTime - '00:00:10'
Precision of DateDiff
I should also point out that DateDiff does not return elapsed time, but instead counts the number of boundaries crossed. If a call to DateDiff using seconds returns 1, this could mean 3 ms elapsed time, or it could mean 1997 ms! This is essentially a precision of +- 1 time units. For the better precision of +- 1/2 time unit, you would want the following query comparing 0 to EndTime - BegTime:
SELECT DateDiff(second, 0, EndTime - BegTime) AS InitialSave
FROM MyTable
WHERE EndTime <= BegTime + '00:00:10'
This now has a maximum rounding error of only one second total, not two (in effect, a floor() operation). Note that you can only subtract the datetime data type--to subtract a date or a time value you would have to convert to datetime or use other methods to get the better precision (a whole lot of DateAdd, DateDiff and possibly other junk, or perhaps using a higher precision time unit and dividing).
This principle is especially important when counting larger units such as hours, days, or months. A DateDiff of 1 month could be 62 days apart (think July 1, 2013 - Aug 31 2013)!
You can't access columns defined in the select statement in the where statement, because they're not generated until after the where has executed.
You can do this however
select InitialSave from
(SELECT DATEDIFF(ss, BegTime, EndTime) AS InitialSave
FROM MyTable) aTable
WHERE InitialSave <= 10
As a sidenote - this essentially moves the DATEDIFF into the where statement in terms of where it's first defined. Using functions on columns in where statements causes indexes to not be used as efficiently and should be avoided if possible, however if you've got to use datediff then you've got to do it!
beyond making it "work", you need to use an index
use a computed column with an index, or a view with an index, otherwise you will table scan. when you get enough rows, you will feel the PAIN of the slow scan!
computed column & index:
ALTER TABLE MyTable ADD
ComputedDate AS DATEDIFF(ss,BegTime, EndTime)
GO
CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX IX_MyTable_ComputedDate ON MyTable
(
ComputedDate
) WITH( STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON [PRIMARY]
GO
create a view & index:
CREATE VIEW YourNewView
AS
SELECT
KeyValues
,DATEDIFF(ss, BegTime, EndTime) AS InitialSave
FROM MyTable
GO
CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_YourNewView
ON YourNewView(InitialSave)
GO
You have to use the function instead of the column alias - it is the same with count(*), etc. PITA.
As an alternate, you can use computed columns.