Re: Should 'sum(mvf)' read 'sum(mcv)'...? - Mailing list pgsql-docs

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: Should 'sum(mvf)' read 'sum(mcv)'...?
Date
Msg-id 255694.1661173111@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Should 'sum(mvf)' read 'sum(mcv)'...?  (Julien Rouhaud <rjuju123@gmail.com>)
Responses Re: Should 'sum(mvf)' read 'sum(mcv)'...?
List pgsql-docs
Julien Rouhaud <rjuju123@gmail.com> writes:
> On Sun, Aug 21, 2022 at 11:02:04PM +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
>> It appears the above sentence is referring to the "(1 - sum(mvf))" portion
>> of the formula, however I am not sure what "mvf" is referring to
>> there...shouldn't it be "(1 - sum(mcv))" in order to match what the
>> explanatory sentence is saying?

> It should be mcf, ie. Most Common Frequencies.  It looks like a very old typo
> that survived until now.

I don't think it's a typo exactly, but an odd abbreviation for "Most
common Values' Frequencies".  (Summing the MCVs themselves isn't
sensible; they might not even be numeric.)

I'd vote for replacing mvf in both places with something a bit more
spelled-out, perhaps "mcv_freqs".

            regards, tom lane



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