[snip]
> The database could be clever and implement the same kind of sampling vacuum
> does. That picks a random sampling of pages from the table without using an
> index. But there's no way to implement the same kind of behaviour from the
> user-visible features.
... meaning perhaps a new keyword accepted by SELECT, something like
"SAMPLE 1000" ? Which would mean sample records in a 1:1000 ratio ?
Would simplify (and probably speed up a lot) some estimating queries...
Cheers,
Csaba.