Re: Utilizing multiple cores in a function call.

I have tried to wrap my brain around different approaches but I'm still
stuck with this one so far. Your approach is interesting but the problem
is more complicated than that. Let me break it down a bit more.

The chemotherapy treatment room is divided into groupings of chairs,
called pods. Pod 1 could have three chairs, pod 2 could have two, and so
forth. Every day can have a unique number of pods, chairs, and groupings
of chairs to pods. Furthermore, every day can have a unique number of
nurses, and nurses are assigned to one or more pods. A single nurse
could be assigned to cover three pods for example. On top of that, pods
have a start/end time as well as nurses. Every pod and nurse can have
unique start/end times.

Chemotherapy regimens have a required chair time and a required nurse
time. The required nurse time represents how long it takes a nurse to
start the treatment. To schedule an appointment, both the chair and
nurse have to be available for the required times at the same time,
while also respecting the pod/chair and pod/nurse assignments. It's more
than incrementing/decrementing the total available time.

Thanks,

Matthew Hartman
Programmer/Analyst
Information Management, ICP
Kingston General Hospital
(613) 549-6666 x4294

-----Original Message-----
From: Merlin Moncure [mailto:mmoncure(at)gmail(dot)com]
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 5:22 PM
To: Hartman, Matthew
Cc: pgsql-performance(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: [PERFORM] Utilizing multiple cores in a function call.

The first thought that jumped out at me was to try and treat your
nurses and stations as incrementing numbers so that if you allocate
three hours of nurse x's time, you increment some number by three in
the nurse's table. This would lay on top of a kind of a time
calculation system that would convert that number to actual time based
on the nurses schedule, etc. On top of _that_, you would need some
kind of resolution system to handle canceled appointments, nurse
no-shows, etc.

The stations would operate on a similar principle...you imagine all
the available hours for the station stretched to infinity on a number
line and keep a fixed allocation point which always moves forwards,
plus a 'number line time' -> real time converter and a freestore list
to pick up unexpectedly freed time.

merlin