Thread: what happens to postmaster?

what happens to postmaster?

From
zach cruise
Date:
...when i am importing a table (from oracle, or updating it), and a
user queries that same table?

is it ok to be concerned about corruption etc.

using 8.1.

Re: what happens to postmaster?

From
Dann Corbit
Date:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org [mailto:pgsql-general-
> owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of zach cruise
> Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:09 AM
> To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
> Subject: [GENERAL] what happens to postmaster?
> 
> ...when i am importing a table (from oracle, or updating it), and a
> user queries that same table?
> 
> is it ok to be concerned about corruption etc.
> 
> using 8.1.

This is a relational database.  All those things are handled automatically.  The whole idea of a multi-user DBMS like
PostgreSQLis that you can have concurrent access.
 

PostgreSQL uses MVCC.  Here is an article that explains how it works.  If you read it perhaps you will feel more
comfortable:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiversion_concurrency_control


Re: what happens to postmaster?

From
Bill Moran
Date:
In response to zach cruise <zachc1980@gmail.com>:

> ...when i am importing a table (from oracle, or updating it), and a
> user queries that same table?

I depends on a lot of information you haven't provided ... Is the
update inside a transaction?  Have you locked the table?

The real answer is: whatever you want to happen.  Depending on how you
set up the import, you have control over how others can interact with
the table while the import is running.

Some examples:
* Grab an access exclusive lock on the table, nobody else will be able
  to access it until you're done.
* Grab an exclusive lock on the table, others will be able to read, but not
  write to it until you're done.

Some documentation to read up on:
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/static/explicit-locking.html

> is it ok to be concerned about corruption etc.

You should always be concerned about those things.

--
Bill Moran
http://www.potentialtech.com
http://people.collaborativefusion.com/~wmoran/

Re: what happens to postmaster?

From
zach cruise
Date:
using navicat 8's import wizard which does row inserts
(provider=msdaora.1; persist security info=true). more
http://www.navicat.com/manual/online_manual/win_manual/ImportODBC.html

i know this is not navicat support, but can anyone from navicat
support also try answer this question?

On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 2:21 PM, Bill Moran <wmoran@potentialtech.com> wrote:
> In response to zach cruise <zachc1980@gmail.com>:
>
>> ...when i am importing a table (from oracle, or updating it), and a
>> user queries that same table?
>
> I depends on a lot of information you haven't provided ... Is the
> update inside a transaction?  Have you locked the table?
>
> The real answer is: whatever you want to happen.  Depending on how you
> set up the import, you have control over how others can interact with
> the table while the import is running.
>
> Some examples:
> * Grab an access exclusive lock on the table, nobody else will be able
>  to access it until you're done.
> * Grab an exclusive lock on the table, others will be able to read, but not
>  write to it until you're done.
>
> Some documentation to read up on:
> http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/static/explicit-locking.html
>
>> is it ok to be concerned about corruption etc.
>
> You should always be concerned about those things.
>
> --
> Bill Moran
> http://www.potentialtech.com
> http://people.collaborativefusion.com/~wmoran/
>
> --
> Sent via pgsql-general mailing list (pgsql-general@postgresql.org)
> To make changes to your subscription:
> http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-general

Re: what happens to postmaster?

From
Scott Marlowe
Date:
On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 12:42 PM, zach cruise <zachc1980@gmail.com> wrote:
> using navicat 8's import wizard which does row inserts
> (provider=msdaora.1; persist security info=true). more
> http://www.navicat.com/manual/online_manual/win_manual/ImportODBC.html
>
> i know this is not navicat support, but can anyone from navicat
> support also try answer this question?
>> Some documentation to read up on:
>> http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/static/explicit-locking.html
>>
>>> is it ok to be concerned about corruption etc.
>>

As long as the import process is going through a regular postgresql
backend connection, and not trying to write directly to the database
files, you should have nothing ot worry about as far as corruption
goes.

Now pg_bulkloader, that's another story.  There you shut down the
database and let the bulk loader do its magical, dangerous stuff.