Group by count() and indexes - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Anuradha Ratnaweera
Subject Group by count() and indexes
Date
Msg-id 20030217154335.GA25666@aratnaweera.virtusa.com
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List pgsql-hackers
Consider the following query on a large table with lots of different
`id's:

    SELECT id FROM my_table GROUP BY id ORDER BY count(id) LIMIT 10;

It has an (usually unique) index on id.  Obviously, the index helps to
evaluate count(id) for a given value of id, but count()s for all the
`id's should be evaluated, so sort() will take most of the time.

Is there a way to improve performance of this query?  If not, please
give some indication to do a workaround on the source itself, so perhaps
I may be able to work out a patch.

Thanks in advance.

    Anuradha

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