Chris,
> The system is currently running on a single processor 500Mhz G4. We're
> likely to move to a two processor 2Ghz G5 in the next few months. Then
> each block may take only a 30-60 milliseconds to complete and their can
> be two concurrent blocks processing at once.
What about explaining your disk setup? Or mentioning postgresql.conf? For
somebody who wants help, you're ignoring a lot of advice and questions.
Personally, I'm not going to be of any further help until you report back on
the other 3 of 4 options.
> RELATED QUESTION: How now do I speed up the following query: "select
> distinct group_id from datatable"? Which results in a sequential scan
> of the db. Why doesn't it use the group_id index? I only do this once
> per run so it's not as critical as the fetch speed which is done 6817
> times.
Because it can't until PostgreSQL 7.4, which has hash aggregates. Up to
7.3, we have to use seq scans for all group bys. I'd suggest that you keep a
table of group_ids, instead.
--
Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco