Re: machine-readable explain output v4

On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:11:47 -0400
Robert Haas <robertmhaas(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:

> Unfortunately, I have to admit to total confusion. The idea in the
> last paragraph seems reasonable to me, but since I don't understand
> the other alternative, I can't say whether it's better or worse. I
> wonder if we would be better off waiting for feedback from actual tool
> authors. I have no illusions that the format is perfect...

Have any tool authors stepped up and committed resources to utilizing
this feature in the near term?

This is one of the features I have been most interested in, and I
believe it has the potential to greatly improve PostgreSQL's
"reputation" of being hard to optimize if used correctly.

I envision a web site where users can paste the XML explain
output and have it return some pretty specific information and fancy
graphs describing exactly whats going on with their query and possible
ideas on how to further optimize the query itself and even PostgreSQL
configuration settings.

The reason I would like to provide this tool in a web-based form is
that no additional software installation would be necessary for the
user, reducing any hurdles to using it to zero.

I'm guessing that my vision likely exceeds the scope of this feature in
its initial form at least, but assuming no one else has stepped up, I'm
more than willing to start committing resources as early as this
weekend with the understanding that this feature is still in
development and likely will change several times before or if its
finally committed for 8.5.

--
Mike