Thread: cost_incremental_sort() and limit_tuples

I think that cost_incremental_sort() does not account for the limit_tuples
argument properly. Attached is my proposal to fix the problem.

-- 
Antonin Houska
Web: https://www.cybertec-postgresql.com

diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/path/costsize.c b/src/backend/optimizer/path/costsize.c
index d6ceafd51c..829af80ea7 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/path/costsize.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/path/costsize.c
@@ -2036,6 +2036,36 @@ cost_incremental_sort(Path *path,
                                            NULL, NULL);
 
     group_tuples = input_tuples / input_groups;
+
+    /*
+     * Do we have a useful LIMIT?
+     *
+     * Unlike the full sort, which must read all the input tuples regardless
+     * the limit, the incremental sort only needs to read the groups
+     * containing at least limit_tuples tuples in total. In other words, the
+     * number of input tuples is almost identical to the number of output
+     * tuples. Therefore we apply the limit to the *input* set.
+     */
+    if (limit_tuples > 0 && limit_tuples < input_tuples)
+    {
+        double    input_tuples_orig = input_tuples;
+
+        /*
+         * We may need fewer groups, but there must be enough to accommodate
+         * limit_tuples.
+         */
+        input_groups = limit_tuples / group_tuples;
+        input_groups = ceil(input_groups);
+
+        /* Fewer input groups implies fewer input tuples. */
+        input_tuples = input_groups * group_tuples;
+        /* XXX Should we instead apply ceil() to group_tuples above? */
+        input_tuples = ceil(input_tuples);
+
+        /* Also adjust input_run_cost. */
+        input_run_cost /= input_tuples_orig / input_tuples;
+    }
+
     group_input_run_cost = input_run_cost / input_groups;
 
     /*
@@ -2044,7 +2074,7 @@ cost_incremental_sort(Path *path,
      */
     cost_tuplesort(&group_startup_cost, &group_run_cost,
                    group_tuples, width, comparison_cost, sort_mem,
-                   limit_tuples);
+                   -1);
 
     /*
      * Startup cost of incremental sort is the startup cost of its first group