I invested quite some time in learning the thing, as it seemed very
similar to Oracle. Unfortunately, when it came down to the pilot project,
the mass of the SQL to be ported ultimately required optimizer hints.
There was simply a mass of SQL, ported to different architecture which
needed quick & dirty fix, because of the sheer volume and the deadline.
Unfortunately, Postgres community is run by programming wiz kids who have
never managed a large database and they sanctimoniously refuse to even
consider hints.
Consequently, I have to kill the pilot project. Postgres is, simply, not
a viable alternative. Not with that attitude, anyway.



--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

Mladen:

# Unfortunately, Postgres community is run by programming wiz kids who
have never managed a large database and they sanctimoniously refuse to
even consider hints.

Aren't hints in oracle code an extreme example of "extensions" to the
SQL language?

Do any other relational databases support hints?

Obviously if Oracle supports the database code they are free to
introduce proprietary extensions as they see fit into their code base.

Does MySQL support hinting the way Oracle does?

On Feb 4, 1:40*pm, Mladen Gogala <gogala.mla... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
Good plug for Oracle support

Seriously though, is this a fair comparison?

-g

On Feb 4, 9:36*am, John Hurley <hurleyjo... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

I know that SQL Server has some optimizer hints available so Oracle is
definitely not the only vendor to provide developers a means to adjust
the optimizer plan.

According to the official mySQL manual it also supports hints:
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/index-hints.html

HTH -- Mark D Powell --

On Feb 4, 9:43*am, Mark D Powell <Mark.Powe... (AT) hp (DOT) com> wrote:
Update - It also appears that postgreSQL has a hint feature:
http://www.enterprisedb.com/docs/en/...e_Guide-28.htm

HTH -- Mark D Powell --

On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:43:16 -0800, Mark D Powell wrote:

DB2 too:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infoce...ex.jsp?topic=/
com.ibm.db2.doc.admin/p9li375.htm

Oracle, DB2, SQL Server and MySQL all provide hints. Hints are nothing
unusual, they're the necessary fix with the large projects. The project
in question was a porting project with a deadline. There was a ton of SQL
that needed to be ported fast. Without hints, this is not possible,
therefore, the Postgres pilot project was canceled. With hints, there
would probably be far fewer consulting gigs for the postgres gurus, which
may help explaining the religious zeal. Oracle is expensive, but not as
expensive as the downtime. Bummer.

--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:50:29 -0800, Mark D Powell wrote:



That's a commercial version. If I was to migrate off Oracle, that will
not be to the database of some small company, it was supposed to be an
open source database. EDB does have hints, but EDB is not Postgres.



--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:50:29 -0800, Mark D Powell wrote:


This is Postgres:
http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Todo...We_Do_Not_Want

"Optimizer hints (not wanted)

Optimizer hints are used to work around problems in the optimizer and
introduce upgrade and maintenance issues. We would rather have the
problems reported and fixed. We have discussed a more sophisticated
system of per-class cost adjustment instead, but a specification remains
to be developed."

In essence, when I encounter a problem, I am supposed to contact one of
the gurus and have him develop a "custom patch" for me. Nice little
racket.



--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

Mladen Gogala, 04.02.2011 14:40:
--> Kill file

On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:43:03 -0800, gazzag wrote:


No. It never was. It was never a question whether Postgres is in the same
league as Oracle, the question was whether Postgres was good enough. For
the applications developed from scratch, it might be. For the porting
projects, it's definitely no good without the optimizer hints. You are
required to either go commercial with EnterpriseDB or get one of the
"gurus' involved, as a consulting gig. That's a very cozy situation,
right there, for everybody involved. Consequently, Postgres is the only
major database that distrusts its own users so deeply to even pronounce a
fatwa against them on the official wiki.

PostgreSQL does have sort of hints but they are ugly, inefficient and
simply not enough for the large porting projects with a ton of SQL and a
deadline. All thy hope abandon. I am adopting wait and see attitude to
see if there will be a fork of the project or a new contender. Postgres
is no good for migrating from Oracle.

--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com