Re: [PATCHES] Avg performance for int8/numeric

Mark Kirkwood <markir@paradise.net.nz> writes:
> Tom Lane wrote:
>> Most of this depends on being able to have a transition state value
>> that isn't any standard SQL datatype.  We've discussed that recently
>> in I-forget-what-context, and didn't find a good answer yet.

> Interesting, I didn't think of doing that - was considering creating a 
> suitable SQL composite type - a bit crass I guess, but I might just try 
> that out anyway and see what sort of improvement it gives (we can then 
> discuss how to do it properly in the advent that it's good....).

The thing is that (a) composite types have *at least* as much overhead
as arrays, probably rather more; and (b) a composite type in itself
doesn't allow non-SQL types as components, so still doesn't let you
tackle the idea of keeping the running sum in numeric.c's internal
calculation format.  So I don't think this will prove much --- the only
gain you can get is the count-in-int8-instead-of-numeric bit, which is
interesting but there is much left on the table.
        regards, tom lane