RE: Conflict detection and logging in logical replication

On Thursday, July 11, 2024 1:03 PM shveta malik <shveta(dot)malik(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for the comments!

>
> I have one concern about how we deal with conflicts. As for insert_exists, we
> keep on erroring out while raising conflict, until it is manually resolved:
> ERROR: conflict insert_exists detected
>
> But for other cases, we just log conflict and either skip or apply the operation. I
> LOG: conflict update_differ detected
> DETAIL: Updating a row that was modified by a different origin
>
> I know that it is no different than HEAD. But now since we are logging conflicts
> explicitly, we should call out default behavior on each conflict. I see some
> incomplete and scattered info in '31.5.
> Conflicts' section saying that:
> "When replicating UPDATE or DELETE operations, missing data will not
> produce a conflict and such operations will simply be skipped."
> (lets say it as pt a)
>
> Also some more info in a later section saying (pt b):
> :A conflict will produce an error and will stop the replication; it must be resolved
> manually by the user."
>
> My suggestions:
> 1) in point a above, shall we have:
> missing data or differing data (i.e. somehow reword to accommodate
> update_differ and delete_differ cases)

I am not sure if rewording existing words is better. I feel adding a link to
let user refer to the detect_conflict section for the all the
conflicts is sufficient, so did like that.

>
> 2)
> monitoring.sgml: Below are my suggestions, please change if you feel apt.
>
> 2a) insert_exists_count : Number of times inserting a row that violates a NOT
> DEFERRABLE unique constraint while applying changes. Suggestion: Number of
> times a row insertion violated a NOT DEFERRABLE unique constraint while
> applying changes.
>
> 2b) update_differ_count : Number of times updating a row that was previously
> modified by another source while applying changes. Suggestion: Number of times
> update was performed on a row that was previously modified by another source
> while applying changes.
>
> 2c) delete_differ_count: Number of times deleting a row that was previously
> modified by another source while applying changes. Suggestion: Number of times
> delete was performed on a row that was previously modified by another source
> while applying changes.

I am a bit unsure which one is better, so I didn't change in this version.

>
> 5)
> conflict.h:CONFLICT_NUM_TYPES
>
> --Shall the macro be CONFLICT_TYPES_NUM instead?

I think the current style followed existing ones(e.g. IOOP_NUM_TYPES,
BACKEND_NUM_TYPES, IOOBJECT_NUM_TYPES ...), so I didn't change this.

Attach the V5 patch set which changed the following:
1. addressed shveta's comments which are not mentioned above.
2. support update_exists conflict which indicates
that the updated value of a row violates the unique constraint.

Best Regards,
Hou zj