Big problem with sql update operation - Mailing list pgsql-performance

From Michal Szymanski
Subject Big problem with sql update operation
Date
Msg-id 4656A4E0.7020400@datera.pl
Whole thread Raw
Responses Re: Big problem with sql update operation
List pgsql-performance
Recently I've wrote few pgSql procedures that generates invoices and
store it in postgres table. Small test has shown that there is
performance problem. I've thought that string operation in pgsql are not
perfect but it has appeared that 90% of time program waste on very
simple update.
Below is my simplified procedures:

CREATE TABLE group_fin_account_tst (
       group_fin_account_tst_id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
       credit                 NUMERIC(8,2) DEFAULT 0.00 NOT NULL
) ;  ALTER TABLE group_fin_account_tst OWNER TO freeconetadm;

INSERT INTO group_fin_account_tst
(credit) VALUES (4);

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION test()
RETURNS void AS
$BODY$
DECLARE
BEGIN
FOR v_i IN 1..4000 LOOP
    UPDATE group_fin_account_tst SET
            credit     = v_i
         WHERE group_fin_account_tst_id = 1;   -- for real procedure I
update different rows

END LOOP;
END; $BODY$ LANGUAGE 'plpgsql' VOLATILE;
ALTER FUNCTION test()  OWNER TO freeconetadm;
select test();

The strange thing is how program behave  when I increase number of
iteration.
Below my results (where u/s is number of updates per second)

On windows
500  - 0.3s(1666u/s)
1000 - 0.7s  (1428u/s)
2000 - 2.3s  (869u/s)
4000 - 9s (444u/s)
8000 -29s (275u/s)
16000-114s (14u/s)

On linux:
500  - 0.5s(1000u/s)
1000 - 1.8s  (555u/s)
2000 - 7.0s  (285u/s)
4000 - 26s (153u/s)
8000 -101s (79u/s)
16000-400s (40u/s)

On both systems relation between number of iteration and time is
strongly nonlinear! Do you know what is a problem? Is it possible to
commit transaction inside  pgsql procedure because I think that maybe
transaction is too long?

Regards
Michal Szymanski
http://blog.szymanskich.net

pgsql-performance by date:

Previous
From: Arnau
Date:
Subject: How PostgreSQL handles multiple DDBB instances?
Next
From: Richard Huxton
Date:
Subject: Re: general PG network slowness (possible cure) (repost)