temporary file log lines

From: MichaelDBA <MichaelDBA(at)sqlexec(dot)com>
To: PostgreSQL Performance <pgsql-performance(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: temporary file log lines
Date: 2021-07-08 21:22:56
Message-ID: d658f01b-7a1d-da5e-e996-3403e6b7cf49@sqlexec.com
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Hi all,

I got a question about PG log lines with temporary file info like this:

case 1: log line with no contextual info
2021-07-07 20:28:15 UTC:10.100.11.95(50274):myapp(at)mydb:[35200]:LOG:
temporary file: path "base/pgsql_tmp/pgsql_tmp35200.0", size 389390336

case 2: log line with contextual info
2021-07-07 20:56:18 UTC:172.16.193.118(56080):myapp(at)mydb:[22418]:LOG:
temporary file: path "base/pgsql_tmp/pgsql_tmp22418.0", size 1048576000
2021-07-07 20:56:18
UTC:172.16.193.118(56080):myapp(at)mydb:[22418]:CONTEXT:  PL/pgSQL function
memory.f_memory_usage(boolean) line 13 at RETURN QUERY

There are at least 2 cases where stuff can spill over to disk:
* queries that don't fit in work_mem, and
* temporary tables that don't fit in temp_buffers

Question, if log_temp_files is turned on (=0), then how can you tell
from where the temporary log line comes from?
I see a pattern where work_mem spill overs have a CONTEXT line that
immediately follows the LOG LINE with keyword, temporary. See case 2 above.

For other LOG lines with keyword, temporary, there is no such pattern.
Could those be the ones caused by temp_buffer spill overs to disk?  case
1 above.

I really want to tune temp_buffers, but I would like to be able to
detect when temporary tables are spilling over to disk, so that I can
increase temp_buffers.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,
Michael Vitale

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