Re: SELECT FOR UPDATE differs inside and outside a pl/pgsql - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

From Mark Shewmaker
Subject Re: SELECT FOR UPDATE differs inside and outside a pl/pgsql
Date
Msg-id 1071739715.2083.481.camel@k9
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: SELECT FOR UPDATE differs inside and outside a pl/pgsql  (Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
Responses Re: SELECT FOR UPDATE differs inside and outside a pl/pgsql
List pgsql-bugs
On Wed, 2003-12-17 at 19:57, Tom Lane wrote:
> Mark Shewmaker <mark@primefactor.com> writes:
> >     If a "FOR UPDATE executes before LIMIT" rule stopped the function
> >     from ever locking a row, it's still curious why didn't it stop the
> >     direct command from ever locking a row as well.
>
> I think it would.  Did you try the test the other way around (with the
> direct command being blocked behind someone who deletes the first row)?

Yes, or at least I've done the test that I think you're asking about.
(See Session_A-with-early-delete occurring with Session B_1 below.)

To be as clear as possible as to the actual tests run:

+-----------------+---------------------------------------------------+
|Run this in psql:| Along with one of these in a second psql session: |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Session A       | Session B_1     | Session B_2     | Session B_3   |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------------+
|                 |                 |                 |               |
| # begin         |                 |                 |               |
|   transaction   |                 |                 |               |
|                 |                 |                 |               |
|                 | # begin         | # begin         | # begin       |
|                 |   transaction;  |   transaction   |   transaction |
|                 |                 |                 |               |
| # select * from |                 |                 |               |
|   mytable limit |                 |                 |               |
|   1 for update; |                 |                 |               |
| (returns a=1)   |                 |                 |               |
|                 |                 |                 |               |
|(NOTE: if the    |                 |                 |               |
|following delete |                 |                 |               |
|statement is     |                 |                 |               |
|moved here,before|                 |                 |               |
|session B_?'s    |                 |                 |               |
|selects, it has  |                 |                 |               |
|no effect on     |                 |                 |               |
|session B_?'s    |                 |                 |               |
|hangs & results) |                 |                 |               |
|                 |                 |                 |               |
|                 | # select * from | # select        | # select      |
|                 |   mytable limit |   myfunction(); |   myfunction2();
|                 |   1 for update; | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
|                 | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| # delete from   | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
|   mytable where | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
|   a=1;          | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| (succeeds with  | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| "DELETE 1")     | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
|                 | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| # commit;       | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| (succeeds with  | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
| "COMMIT")       | (hangs)         | (hangs)         | (hangs)       |
|                 | (returns with   | (hangs)         | (returns with |
|                 | no rows)        | (hangs)         |  a=2)         |
|                 |                 | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | # select * from | (hangs)         | # delete from |
|                 |   mytable limit | (hangs)         |   mytable     |
|                 |   1 for update; | (hangs)         |   where a=2;  |
|                 | (returns with   | (hangs)         | (succeeds with|
|                 | a=2)            | (hangs)         | "DELETE 1")   |
|                 |                 | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | # delete from   | (hangs)         | # commit;     |
|                 |   mytable where | (hangs)         | (succeeds with|
|                 |   a=2;          | (hangs)         | "COMMIT")     |
|                 | (succeeds with  | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | "DELETE 1")     | (hangs)         |               |
|                 |                 | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | # commit;       | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | (succeeds with  | (hangs)         |               |
|                 | "COMMIT")       | (hangs)         |               |
|                 |                 | (hangs)         |               |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Before each test:  # delete from mytable;                           |
|                    # insert into mytable (a) values (1);            |
|                    # insert into mytable (a) values (2);            |
|                    # insert into mytable (a) values (3);            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| myfunction() mostly consists of:                                    |
|                                                                     |
|      LOOP                                                           |
|        select * into myrow from mytable limit 1 for update;         |
|        if found then exit;                                          |
|        end if;                                                      |
|      END LOOP;                                                      |
|      return myrow.a;                                                |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| myfunction2() mostly consists of:                                   |
|                                                                     |
|      select * into myrow from mytable for update;                   |
|      return myrow.a;                                                |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

Does this contain the test case you were asking about?

("select * into myrow from mytable for update;" as you suggested, with
it's implicit limit done within the function is still a great solution
for me.)

> > 2.  There's now a difference between the suggested "select * into
> >     myrow from mytable for update;" run within a function, with its
> >     JUST GREAT behavior, and the original "select * from mytable
> >     limit 1 for update;":
>
> Yeah, because plpgsql is implicitly letting you apply a LIMIT 1 after
> the FOR UPDATE, whereas there is no way to get the equivalent behavior
> in plain SQL.

Ahhh.  Okay.

Now that you've explained that one a second time, it's finally begun to
sink in.  :-)

(That doesn't explain the original difference discussed above, of
course.)

> > 4.  As an aside, since another way to directly solve the problem would
> >     be a way to only select rows that aren't locked, are there any
> >     thoughts on having that sort of functionality in a future revision?
>
> There have been previous discussions about how to do this sort of
> select-the-first-available-job logic, and IIRC people have found
> suitable implementations.  Search the archives.  It's not on-topic
> for pgsql-bugs, in any case.

Thanks.

I'll search the archives further, and bring up it up in a more suitable
list if need be and where it will be more on topic.

--
Mark Shewmaker
mark@primefactor.com

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