ToDo List Item - System Table Index Clustering - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

Hello Postgres Hackers,

In reference to this todo item about clustering system table indexes,
( http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-hackers/2004-05/msg00989.php )
I have been studying the system tables to see which would benefit  from
clustering.  I have some index suggestions and a question if you have a
moment.

Cluster Candidates:
pg_attribute:  Make the existing index ( attrelid, attnum ) clustered to order it by table and column.pg_attrdef:
Existingindex ( adrelid, adnum ) clustered to order itby table and column. 
pg_constraint:  Existing index ( conrelid ) clustered to get table constraints contiguous.
pg_depend: Existing Index (refclassid, refobjid, refobjsubid) clusteredto so that when the referenced object is changed
itsdependencies arevcontiguous. 
pg_description: Make the existing index ( Objoid, classoid, objsubid ) clustered to order it by entity, catalog, and
optionalcolumn.      * reversing the first two columns makes more sense to me ...     catalog, object, column or since
objectimplies catalog ( right? )     just dispensing with catalog altogether, but that would mean     creating a new
index.pg_shdependent:Existing index (refclassid, refobjid) clustered for same reason as pg_depend. 
pg_statistic: Existing index (starelid, staattnum) clustered to order it by table and column.
pg_trigger:  Make the existing index ( tgrelid, tgname ) clustered to order it by table then name getting all the
triggerson a table together. 

Maybe Cluster:
pg_rewrite: Not sure about this one ... The existing index ( ev_class,rulename ) seems logical to cluster to get all
therewrite rules for agiven table contiguous but in the db's available to me virtually everytable only has one rewrite
rule.  
pg_auth_members:  We could order it by role or by member ofthat role.  Not sure which would be more valuable.


Stupid newbie question:

is there a way to make queries on the system tables show me what is actually there when I'm poking around?  So for
example:
    Select * from pg_type limit 1;
tells me that the typoutput is 'boolout'.  An english string rather than a number.  So even though the documentation
saysthat columnmaps to pg_proc.oid I can't then write: 
    Select * from pg_proc where oid = 'boolout';
It would be very helpful if I wasn't learning the system but since Iam I'd like to turn it off for now.  Fewer layers
ofabstraction. 


Thanks,

Simone Aiken

303-956-7188
Quietly Competent Consulting