Re: Instrumenting and Logging in JDBC - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

Bruce,

I agree that log4j is probably overkill.  I also understand the need for 
better logging.  I have been fortunate that I can run through a debugger 
so that I have been able to track down any problems I have had when the 
server sql statment log isn't sufficient.

The one good thing about postgresql (unlike other databases I use) is 
that at least you have access to the source code so that you can add 
prints as needed.


thanks,
--Barry


Bruce Toback wrote:

> 
> On Sunday, June 24, 2001, at 09:49 PM, Barry Lind wrote:
> 
>> First I would ask what kind of logging you are talking about?  I find 
>> that simply turning on debug output on the server to print out the sql 
>> statements being executed is generally all I need for logging, and the 
>> server already supports that.
> 
> 
> The problem is that the SQL sent to the backend is sometimes the end 
> product of a lot of interaction between the JDBC driver and the client 
> program. This is frequently the case with general-purpose programs like 
> report writers and application servers.
> 
> If the generated SQL is bad, or if the data the client program receives 
> back is bad, it's necessary to figure out exactly what the client 
> program is doing in order to solve the problem. For example, the client 
> may use some kinds of row metadata and not others, or may be using an 
> unusual sequence of calls to place data into a PreparedStatement. 
> Logging is the only way to figure out what the client is doing if you 
> don't have the client source.
> 
>> While logging is a good idea, having yet another non-postgresql 
>> component that needs to be installed in order to build and/or run the 
>> jdbc driver is in my opionion a bad idea.  I already dislike the fact 
>> that I have to install ant just to build the driver.  It was so much 
>> easier under 7.0 when make was all that was required.
> 
> 
> Agreed -- especially given what it takes to get a Java program to work, 
> since there are no standards for where the various components should 
> live. Making ant work wasn't a pleasant experience: it took more effort 
> to build the 7.1 JDBC driver alone than to build the entire 7.0 Postgres 
> suite.
> 
> On the other hand, logging *is* useful in making sure that the JDBC 
> driver works with the widest possible variety of client software, 
> including all kinds of proprietary middleware products. If the logging 
> is set up so that log4j is loaded dynamically, would that be a 
> satisfactory solution to the build problem?
> 
> Actually, given the purpose for including logging, log4j is probably 
> more than what's required to do the job -- essentially just tracing 
> client call activity.
> 
> -- Bruce
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Bruce Toback    Tel: (602) 996-8601| My candle burns at both ends;
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>