Learning to read explain - Mailing list pgsql-novice

From Francisco Reyes
Subject Learning to read explain
Date
Msg-id 20011129180034.C2380-100000@zoraida.natserv.net
Whole thread Raw
List pgsql-novice
Any good sources on how to properly interpret explain?

For instance I started out with something like:
Hash Join  (cost=20279.05..128002.12 rows=1064 width=78)
  ->  Seq Scan on yhearn yhe  (cost=0.00..23058.65 rows=1175565 width=38)
  ->  Hash  (cost=18659.62..18659.62 rows=156970 width=40)
   ->  Seq Scan on hearn he  (cost=0.00..18659.62 rows=156970 width=40)


After looking at my tables and what would be my most restrictive
conditions I got down to:
Nested Loop  (cost=0.00..65999.17 rows=21 width=78)
 ->  Seq Scan on yhearn yhe  (cost=0.00..28936.47 rows=7655 width=38)
 ->  Index Scan using he_horse on hearn he  (cost=0.00..4.82 rows=1 width=40)

But it would have helped if I better understood what is the "cost".
Also what is the "Hash" on the first version of my not-optimized query.


pgsql-novice by date:

Previous
From: Horst Herb
Date:
Subject: prevent psql script execution from stopping
Next
From: Danny Aldham
Date:
Subject: Using temp tables with web apps (No State)