Low Insert/Update Performance

Hi List,

   I got a P4 1.7Ghz , 512MB RAM , HD 7200 RPM, on RED HAT 9 running PostgreSQL
7.3.2-3 Database.
   I have a Delphi aplication that updates the Oracle database using .dbf
file's information  ( converting the data from the old clipper aplication ) and
it takes about 3min and 45 seconds to update Jan/2003 .
    My problem is that I must substitute this Oracle for  a PostgreSQL database
and this same Delphi aplication takes 45 min to update Jan/2003.
    All delphi routines are converted and optmized to work with PgSQL.

Here follows my postgresql.conf:

#
#    Connection Parameters
#
tcpip_socket = true
#ssl = false

max_connections = 10
#superuser_reserved_connections = 2

port = 5432
#hostname_lookup = false
#show_source_port = false

#unix_socket_directory = ''
#unix_socket_group = ''
#unix_socket_permissions = 0777    # octal

#virtual_host = ''

#krb_server_keyfile = ''


#
#    Shared Memory Size
#
shared_buffers = 10000        # min max_connections*2 or 16, 8KB each
max_fsm_relations = 2000    # min 10, fsm is free space map, ~40 bytes
max_fsm_pages = 20000        # min 1000, fsm is free space map, ~6 bytes
#max_locks_per_transaction = 64    # min 10
#wal_buffers =         # min 4, typically 8KB each

#
#    Non-shared Memory Sizes
#
sort_mem = 8000          # min 64, size in KB
vacuum_mem = 16192        # min 1024, size in KB


#
#    Write-ahead log (WAL)
#
checkpoint_segments = 9     # in logfile segments, min 1, 16MB each
#checkpoint_timeout = 300    # range 30-3600, in seconds
#
#commit_delay = 0        # range 0-100000, in microseconds
#commit_siblings = 5        # range 1-1000
#
fsync = false
#wal_sync_method = fsync    # the default varies across platforms:
#                # fsync, fdatasync, open_sync, or open_datasync
#wal_debug = 0            # range 0-16


#
#    Optimizer Parameters
#
enable_seqscan = false
enable_indexscan = true
enable_tidscan = true
enable_sort = true
enable_nestloop = true
enable_mergejoin = true
enable_hashjoin = true

effective_cache_size = 16000    # typically 8KB each
#random_page_cost = 4        # units are one sequential page fetch cost
#cpu_tuple_cost = 0.01        # (same)
#cpu_index_tuple_cost = 0.001    # (same)
#cpu_operator_cost = 0.0025    # (same)

default_statistics_target = 1000    # range 1-1000

#
#    GEQO Optimizer Parameters
#
#geqo = true
#geqo_selection_bias = 2.0    # range 1.5-2.0
#geqo_threshold = 11
#geqo_pool_size = 0        # default based on tables in statement,
                # range 128-1024
#geqo_effort = 1
#geqo_generations = 0
#geqo_random_seed = -1        # auto-compute seed


#
#    Message display
#
#server_min_messages = notice    # Values, in order of decreasing detail:
                #   debug5, debug4, debug3, debug2, debug1,
                #   info, notice, warning, error, log, fatal,
                #   panic
#client_min_messages = notice    # Values, in order of decreasing detail:
                #   debug5, debug4, debug3, debug2, debug1,
                #   log, info, notice, warning, error
#silent_mode = false

#log_connections = false
#log_pid = false
#log_statement = false
#log_duration = false
log_timestamp = true

#log_min_error_statement = error # Values in order of increasing severity:
                 #   debug5, debug4, debug3, debug2, debug1,
                 #   info, notice, warning, error, panic(off)

#debug_print_parse = false
#debug_print_rewritten = false
#debug_print_plan = false
#debug_pretty_print = false

#explain_pretty_print = true

# requires USE_ASSERT_CHECKING
#debug_assertions = true


#
#    Syslog
#
#syslog = 0            # range 0-2
#syslog_facility = 'LOCAL0'
#syslog_ident = 'postgres'


#
#    Statistics
#
#show_parser_stats = false
#show_planner_stats = false
#show_executor_stats = false
#show_statement_stats = false

# requires BTREE_BUILD_STATS
#show_btree_build_stats = false


#
#    Access statistics collection
#
#stats_start_collector = true
#stats_reset_on_server_start = true
#stats_command_string = false
#stats_row_level = false
#stats_block_level = false


#
#    Lock Tracing
#
#trace_notify = false

# requires LOCK_DEBUG
#trace_locks = false
#trace_userlocks = false
#trace_lwlocks = false
#debug_deadlocks = false
#trace_lock_oidmin = 16384
#trace_lock_table = 0


#
#    Misc
#
#autocommit = true
#dynamic_library_path = '$libdir'
search_path = 'vendas'
#datestyle = 'iso, us'
#timezone = unknown        # actually, defaults to TZ environment setting
#australian_timezones = false
#client_encoding = sql_ascii    # actually, defaults to database encoding
#authentication_timeout = 60    # 1-600, in seconds
#deadlock_timeout = 1000    # in milliseconds
#default_transaction_isolation = 'read committed'
#max_expr_depth = 10000        # min 10
#max_files_per_process = 1000    # min 25
#password_encryption = true
#sql_inheritance = true
#transform_null_equals = false
#statement_timeout = 0        # 0 is disabled, in milliseconds
#db_user_namespace = false



#
#    Locale settings
#
# (initialized by initdb -- may be changed)
LC_MESSAGES = 'en_US.UTF-8'
LC_MONETARY = 'en_US.UTF-8'
LC_NUMERIC = 'en_US.UTF-8'
LC_TIME = 'en_US.UTF-8'

Atenciosamente,

Rhaoni Chiu Pereira
Sistêmica Computadores

Visite-nos na Web: http://sistemica.info
Fone/Fax : +55 51 3328 1122