sortsupport.h

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/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 *
 * sortsupport.h
 *    Framework for accelerated sorting.
 *
 * Traditionally, PostgreSQL has implemented sorting by repeatedly invoking
 * an SQL-callable comparison function "cmp(x, y) returns int" on pairs of
 * values to be compared, where the comparison function is the BTORDER_PROC
 * pg_amproc support function of the appropriate btree index opclass.
 *
 * This file defines alternative APIs that allow sorting to be performed with
 * reduced overhead.  To support lower-overhead sorting, a btree opclass may
 * provide a BTSORTSUPPORT_PROC pg_amproc entry, which must take a single
 * argument of type internal and return void.  The argument is actually a
 * pointer to a SortSupportData struct, which is defined below.
 *
 * If provided, the BTSORTSUPPORT function will be called during sort setup,
 * and it must initialize the provided struct with pointers to function(s)
 * that can be called to perform sorting.  This API is defined to allow
 * multiple acceleration mechanisms to be supported, but no opclass is
 * required to provide all of them.  The BTSORTSUPPORT function should
 * simply not set any function pointers for mechanisms it doesn't support.
 * Opclasses that provide BTSORTSUPPORT and don't provide a comparator
 * function will have a shim set up by sort support automatically.  However,
 * opclasses that support the optional additional abbreviated key capability
 * must always provide an authoritative comparator used to tie-break
 * inconclusive abbreviated comparisons and also used when aborting
 * abbreviation.  Furthermore, a converter and abort/costing function must be
 * provided.
 *
 * All sort support functions will be passed the address of the
 * SortSupportData struct when called, so they can use it to store
 * additional private data as needed.  In particular, for collation-aware
 * datatypes, the ssup_collation field is set before calling BTSORTSUPPORT
 * and is available to all support functions.  Additional opclass-dependent
 * data can be stored using the ssup_extra field.  Any such data
 * should be allocated in the ssup_cxt memory context.
 *
 * Note: since pg_amproc functions are indexed by (lefttype, righttype)
 * it is possible to associate a BTSORTSUPPORT function with a cross-type
 * comparison.  This could sensibly be used to provide a fast comparator
 * function for such cases, but probably not any other acceleration method.
 *
 *
 * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2026, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
 * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
 *
 * src/include/utils/sortsupport.h
 *
 *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 */
#ifndef SORTSUPPORT_H
#define SORTSUPPORT_H
 
#include "access/attnum.h"
#include "utils/relcache.h"
 
typedef struct SortSupportData *SortSupport;
 
typedef struct SortSupportData
{
    /*
     * These fields are initialized before calling the BTSORTSUPPORT function
     * and should not be changed later.
     */
    MemoryContext ssup_cxt;     /* Context containing sort info */
    Oid         ssup_collation; /* Collation to use, or InvalidOid */
 
    /*
     * Additional sorting parameters; but unlike ssup_collation, these can be
     * changed after BTSORTSUPPORT is called, so don't use them in selecting
     * sort support functions.
     */
    bool        ssup_reverse;   /* descending-order sort? */
    bool        ssup_nulls_first;   /* sort nulls first? */
 
    /*
     * These fields are workspace for callers, and should not be touched by
     * opclass-specific functions.
     */
    AttrNumber  ssup_attno;     /* column number to sort */
 
    /*
     * ssup_extra is zeroed before calling the BTSORTSUPPORT function, and is
     * not touched subsequently by callers.
     */
    void       *ssup_extra;     /* Workspace for opclass functions */
 
    /*
     * Function pointers are zeroed before calling the BTSORTSUPPORT function,
     * and must be set by it for any acceleration methods it wants to supply.
     * The comparator pointer must be set, others are optional.
     */
 
    /*
     * Comparator function has the same API as the traditional btree
     * comparison function, ie, return <0, 0, or >0 according as x is less
     * than, equal to, or greater than y.  Note that x and y are guaranteed
     * not null, and there is no way to return null either.
     *
     * This may be either the authoritative comparator, or the abbreviated
     * comparator.  Core code may switch this over the initial preference of
     * an opclass support function despite originally indicating abbreviation
     * was applicable, by assigning the authoritative comparator back.
     */
    int         (*comparator) (Datum x, Datum y, SortSupport ssup);
 
    /*
     * "Abbreviated key" infrastructure follows.
     *
     * All callbacks must be set by sortsupport opclasses that make use of
     * this optional additional infrastructure (unless for whatever reasons
     * the opclass doesn't proceed with abbreviation, in which case
     * abbrev_converter must not be set).
     *
     * This allows opclass authors to supply a conversion routine, used to
     * create an alternative representation of the underlying type (an
     * "abbreviated key").  This representation must be pass-by-value and
     * typically will use some ad-hoc format that only the opclass has
     * knowledge of.  An alternative comparator, used only with this
     * alternative representation must also be provided (which is assigned to
     * "comparator").  This representation is a simple approximation of the
     * original Datum.  It must be possible to compare datums of this
     * representation with each other using the supplied alternative
     * comparator, and have any non-zero return value be a reliable proxy for
     * what a proper comparison would indicate. Returning zero from the
     * alternative comparator does not indicate equality, as with a
     * conventional support routine 1, though -- it indicates that it wasn't
     * possible to determine how the two abbreviated values compared.  A
     * proper comparison, using "abbrev_full_comparator"/
     * ApplySortAbbrevFullComparator() is therefore required.  In many cases
     * this results in most or all comparisons only using the cheap
     * alternative comparison func, which is typically implemented as code
     * that compiles to just a few CPU instructions.  CPU cache miss penalties
     * are expensive; to get good overall performance, sort infrastructure
     * must heavily weigh cache performance.
     *
     * Opclass authors must consider the final cardinality of abbreviated keys
     * when devising an encoding scheme.  It's possible for a strategy to work
     * better than an alternative strategy with one usage pattern, while the
     * reverse might be true for another usage pattern.  All of these factors
     * must be considered.
     */
 
    /*
     * "abbreviate" concerns whether or not the abbreviated key optimization
     * is applicable in principle (that is, the sortsupport routine needs to
     * know if its dealing with a key where an abbreviated representation can
     * usefully be packed together.  Conventionally, this is the leading
     * attribute key).  Note, however, that in order to determine that
     * abbreviation is not in play, the core code always checks whether or not
     * the opclass has set abbrev_converter.  This is a one way, one time
     * message to the opclass.
     */
    bool        abbreviate;
 
    /*
     * Converter to abbreviated format, from original representation.  Core
     * code uses this callback to convert from a pass-by-reference "original"
     * Datum to a pass-by-value abbreviated key Datum.  Note that original is
     * guaranteed NOT NULL, because it doesn't make sense to factor NULLness
     * into ad-hoc cost model.
     *
     * abbrev_converter is tested to see if abbreviation is in play.  Core
     * code may set it to NULL to indicate abbreviation should not be used
     * (which is something sortsupport routines need not concern themselves
     * with). However, sortsupport routines must not set it when it is
     * immediately established that abbreviation should not proceed (e.g., for
     * !abbreviate calls, or due to platform-specific impediments to using
     * abbreviation).
     */
    Datum       (*abbrev_converter) (Datum original, SortSupport ssup);
 
    /*
     * abbrev_abort callback allows clients to verify that the current
     * strategy is working out, using a sortsupport routine defined ad-hoc
     * cost model. If there is a lot of duplicate abbreviated keys in
     * practice, it's useful to be able to abandon the strategy before paying
     * too high a cost in conversion (perhaps certain opclass-specific
     * adaptations are useful too).
     */
    bool        (*abbrev_abort) (int memtupcount, SortSupport ssup);
 
    /*
     * Full, authoritative comparator for key that an abbreviated
     * representation was generated for, used when an abbreviated comparison
     * was inconclusive (by calling ApplySortAbbrevFullComparator()), or used
     * to replace "comparator" when core system ultimately decides against
     * abbreviation.
     */
    int         (*abbrev_full_comparator) (Datum x, Datum y, SortSupport ssup);
} SortSupportData;
 
 
/*
 * Apply a sort comparator function and return a 3-way comparison result.
 * This takes care of handling reverse-sort and NULLs-ordering properly.
 */
static inline int
ApplySortComparator(Datum datum1, bool isNull1,
                    Datum datum2, bool isNull2,
                    SortSupport ssup)
{
    int         compare;
 
    if (isNull1)
    {
        if (isNull2)
            compare = 0;        /* NULL "=" NULL */
        else if (ssup->ssup_nulls_first)
            compare = -1;       /* NULL "<" NOT_NULL */
        else
            compare = 1;        /* NULL ">" NOT_NULL */
    }
    else if (isNull2)
    {
        if (ssup->ssup_nulls_first)
            compare = 1;        /* NOT_NULL ">" NULL */
        else
            compare = -1;       /* NOT_NULL "<" NULL */
    }
    else
    {
        compare = ssup->comparator(datum1, datum2, ssup);
        if (ssup->ssup_reverse)
            INVERT_COMPARE_RESULT(compare);
    }
 
    return compare;
}
 
/*
 * Apply a sort comparator function and return a 3-way comparison using full,
 * authoritative comparator.  This takes care of handling reverse-sort and
 * NULLs-ordering properly.
 */
static inline int
ApplySortAbbrevFullComparator(Datum datum1, bool isNull1,
                              Datum datum2, bool isNull2,
                              SortSupport ssup)
{
    int         compare;
 
    if (isNull1)
    {
        if (isNull2)
            compare = 0;        /* NULL "=" NULL */
        else if (ssup->ssup_nulls_first)
            compare = -1;       /* NULL "<" NOT_NULL */
        else
            compare = 1;        /* NULL ">" NOT_NULL */
    }
    else if (isNull2)
    {
        if (ssup->ssup_nulls_first)
            compare = 1;        /* NOT_NULL ">" NULL */
        else
            compare = -1;       /* NOT_NULL "<" NULL */
    }
    else
    {
        compare = ssup->abbrev_full_comparator(datum1, datum2, ssup);
        if (ssup->ssup_reverse)
            INVERT_COMPARE_RESULT(compare);
    }
 
    return compare;
}
 
/*
 * Datum comparison functions that we have specialized sort routines for.
 * Datatypes that install these as their comparator or abbreviated comparator
 * are eligible for faster sorting.
 */
extern int  ssup_datum_unsigned_cmp(Datum x, Datum y, SortSupport ssup);
extern int  ssup_datum_signed_cmp(Datum x, Datum y, SortSupport ssup);
extern int  ssup_datum_int32_cmp(Datum x, Datum y, SortSupport ssup);
 
/* Other functions in utils/sort/sortsupport.c */
extern void PrepareSortSupportComparisonShim(Oid cmpFunc, SortSupport ssup);
extern void PrepareSortSupportFromOrderingOp(Oid orderingOp, SortSupport ssup);
extern void PrepareSortSupportFromIndexRel(Relation indexRel, bool reverse,
                                           SortSupport ssup);
extern void PrepareSortSupportFromGistIndexRel(Relation indexRel, SortSupport ssup);
 
#endif                          /* SORTSUPPORT_H */