Re: single index on more than two coulumns a bad thing? - Mailing list pgsql-performance

From Josh Berkus
Subject Re: single index on more than two coulumns a bad thing?
Date
Msg-id 200404011635.45440.josh@agliodbs.com
Whole thread Raw
In response to single index on more than two coulumns a bad thing?  (Palle Girgensohn <girgen@pingpong.net>)
Responses Re: single index on more than two coulumns a bad thing?
List pgsql-performance
Palle,

> Is it always bad to create index xx on yy (field1, field2, field3);

No, it seldom bad, in fact.    I have some indexes that run up to seven
columns, becuase they are required for unique keys.

Indexes of 3-4 columns are often *required* for many-to-many join tables.

I'm afraid that you've been given some misleading advice.

> I guess the problem is that the index might often grow bigger than the
> table, or at least big enough not to speed up the queries?

Well, yes ... a 4-column index on a 5-column table could be bigger than the
table if allowed to bloat and not re-indexed.   But that's just a reason for
better maintainence.

--
-Josh Berkus
 Aglio Database Solutions
 San Francisco


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