path: root/doc/src/sgml/custom-scan.sgml

<!-- doc/src/sgml/custom-scan.sgml -->

<chapter id="custom-scan">
 <title>Writing A Custom Scan Provider</title>

 <indexterm zone="custom-scan">
  <primary>custom scan provider</primary>
  <secondary>handler for</secondary>
 </indexterm>

 <para>
  <productname>PostgreSQL</> supports a set of experimental facilities which
  are intended to allow extension modules to add new scan types to the system.
  Unlike a <link linkend="fdwhandler">foreign data wrapper</>, which is only
  responsible for knowing how to scan its own foreign tables, a custom scan
  provider can provide an alternative method of scanning any relation in the
  system.  Typically, the motivation for writing a custom scan provider will
  be to allow the use of some optimization not supported by the core
  system, such as caching or some form of hardware acceleration.  This chapter
  outlines how to write a new custom scan provider.
 </para>

 <para>
  Implementing a new type of custom scan is a three-step process.  First,
  during planning, it is necessary to generate access paths representing a
  scan using the proposed strategy.  Second, if one of those access paths
  is selected by the planner as the optimal strategy for scanning a
  particular relation, the access path must be converted to a plan.
  Finally, it must be possible to execute the plan and generate the same
  results that would have been generated for any other access path targeting
  the same relation.
 </para>

 <sect1 id="custom-scan-path">
  <title>Creating Custom Scan Paths</title>

  <para>
    A custom scan provider will typically add paths for a base relation by
    setting the following hook, which is called after the core code has
    generated what it believes to be the complete and correct set of access
    paths for the relation.
<programlisting>
typedef void (*set_rel_pathlist_hook_type) (PlannerInfo *root,
                                            RelOptInfo *rel,
                                            Index rti,
                                            RangeTblEntry *rte);
extern PGDLLIMPORT set_rel_pathlist_hook_type set_rel_pathlist_hook;
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
    Although this hook function can be used to examine, modify, or remove
    paths generated by the core system, a custom scan provider will typically
    confine itself to generating <structname>CustomPath</> objects and adding
    them to <literal>rel</> using <function>add_path</>.  The custom scan
    provider is responsible for initializing the <structname>CustomPath</>
    object, which is declared like this:
<programlisting>
typedef struct CustomPath
{
    Path      path;
    uint32    flags;
    List     *custom_private;
    const CustomPathMethods *methods;
} CustomPath;
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
    <structfield>path</> must be initialized as for any other path, including
    the row-count estimate, start and total cost, and sort ordering provided
    by this path.  <structfield>flags</> is a bitmask, which should include
    <literal>CUSTOMPATH_SUPPORT_BACKWARD_SCAN</> if the custom path can support
    a backward scan and <literal>CUSTOMPATH_SUPPORT_MARK_RESTORE</> if it
    can support mark and restore.  Both capabilities are optional.
    <structfield>custom_private</> can be used to store the custom path's
    private data.  Private data should be stored in a form that can be handled
    by <literal>nodeToString</>, so that debugging routines that attempt to
    print the custom path will work as designed.  <structfield>methods</> must
    point to a (usually statically allocated) object implementing the required
    custom path methods, of which there are currently only two, as further
    detailed below.
  </para>

  <para>
   A custom scan provider can also provide join paths.  Just as for base
   relations, such a path must produce the same output as would normally be
   produced by the join it replaces.  To do this, the join provider should
   set the following hook, and then within the hook function,
   create <structname>CustomPath</> path(s) for the join relation.
<programlisting>
typedef void (*set_join_pathlist_hook_type) (PlannerInfo *root,
                                             RelOptInfo *joinrel,
                                             RelOptInfo *outerrel,
                                             RelOptInfo *innerrel,
                                             JoinType jointype,
                                             JoinPathExtraData *extra);
extern PGDLLIMPORT set_join_pathlist_hook_type set_join_pathlist_hook;
</programlisting>

   This hook will be invoked repeatedly for the same join relation, with
   different combinations of inner and outer relations; it is the
   responsibility of the hook to minimize duplicated work.
  </para>

  <sect2 id="custom-scan-path-callbacks">
  <title>Custom Scan Path Callbacks</title>

  <para>
<programlisting>
Plan *(*PlanCustomPath) (PlannerInfo *root,
                         RelOptInfo *rel,
                         CustomPath *best_path,
                         List *tlist,
                         List *clauses);
</programlisting>
    Convert a custom path to a finished plan.  The return value will generally
    be a <literal>CustomScan</> object, which the callback must allocate and
    initialize.  See <xref linkend="custom-scan-plan"> for more details.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*TextOutCustomPath) (StringInfo str,
                           const CustomPath *node);
</programlisting>
    Generate additional output when <function>nodeToString</> is invoked on
    this custom path.  This callback is optional.  Since
    <function>nodeToString</> will automatically dump all fields in the
    structure that it can see, including <structfield>custom_private</>, this
    is only useful if the <structname>CustomPath</> is actually embedded in a
    larger struct containing additional fields.
   </para>
  </sect2>
 </sect1>

 <sect1 id="custom-scan-plan">
  <title>Creating Custom Scan Plans</title>

  <para>
    A custom scan is represented in a finished plan tree using the following
    structure:
<programlisting>
typedef struct CustomScan
{
    Scan      scan;
    uint32    flags;
    List     *custom_exprs;
    List     *custom_private;
    List     *custom_scan_tlist;
    Bitmapset *custom_relids;
    const CustomScanMethods *methods;
} CustomScan;
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
    <structfield>scan</> must be initialized as for any other scan, including
    estimated costs, target lists, qualifications, and so on.
    <structfield>flags</> is a bitmask with the same meaning as in
    <structname>CustomPath</>.
    <structfield>custom_exprs</> should be used to
    store expression trees that will need to be fixed up by
    <filename>setrefs.c</> and <filename>subselect.c</>, while
    <structfield>custom_private</> should be used to store other private data
    that is only used by the custom scan provider itself.
    <structfield>custom_scan_tlist</> can be NIL when scanning a base
    relation, indicating that the custom scan returns scan tuples that match
    the base relation's rowtype.  Otherwise it is a targetlist describing
    the actual scan tuples.  <structfield>custom_scan_tlist</> must be
    provided for joins, and could be provided for scans if the custom scan
    provider can compute some non-Var expressions.
    <structfield>custom_relids</> is set by the core code to the set of
    relations (rangetable indexes) that this scan node handles; except when
    this scan is replacing a join, it will have only one member.
    <structfield>methods</> must point to a (usually statically allocated)
    object implementing the required custom scan methods, which are further
    detailed below.
  </para>

  <para>
   When a <structname>CustomScan</> scans a single relation,
   <structfield>scan.scanrelid</> must be the range table index of the table
   to be scanned.  When it replaces a join, <structfield>scan.scanrelid</>
   should be zero.
  </para>

  <para>
   Plan trees must be able to be duplicated using <function>copyObject</>,
   so all the data stored within the <quote>custom</> fields must consist of
   nodes that that function can handle.  Furthermore, custom scan providers
   cannot substitute a larger structure that embeds
   a <structname>CustomScan</> for the structure itself, as would be possible
   for a <structname>CustomPath</> or <structname>CustomScanState</>.
  </para>

  <sect2 id="custom-scan-plan-callbacks">
   <title>Custom Scan Plan Callbacks</title>
   <para>
<programlisting>
Node *(*CreateCustomScanState) (CustomScan *cscan);
</programlisting>
    Allocate a <structname>CustomScanState</> for this
    <structname>CustomScan</>.  The actual allocation will often be larger than
    required for an ordinary <structname>CustomScanState</>, because many
    providers will wish to embed that as the first field of a larger structure.
    The value returned must have the node tag and <structfield>methods</>
    set appropriately, but other fields should be left as zeroes at this
    stage; after <function>ExecInitCustomScan</> performs basic initialization,
    the <function>BeginCustomScan</> callback will be invoked to give the
    custom scan provider a chance to do whatever else is needed.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*TextOutCustomScan) (StringInfo str,
                           const CustomScan *node);
</programlisting>
    Generate additional output when <function>nodeToString</> is invoked on
    this custom plan node.  This callback is optional.  Since
    <function>nodeToString</> will automatically dump all fields in the
    structure, including the substructure of the <quote>custom</> fields,
    there is usually not much need for this callback.
   </para>
  </sect2>
 </sect1>

 <sect1 id="custom-scan-execution">
  <title>Executing Custom Scans</title>

  <para>
   When a <structfield>CustomScan</> is executed, its execution state is
   represented by a <structfield>CustomScanState</>, which is declared as
   follows:
<programlisting>
typedef struct CustomScanState
{
    ScanState ss;
    uint32    flags;
    const CustomExecMethods *methods;
} CustomScanState;
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
   <structfield>ss</> is initialized as for any other scanstate,
   except that if the scan is for a join rather than a base relation,
   <literal>ss.ss_currentRelation</> is left NULL.
   <structfield>flags</> is a bitmask with the same meaning as in
   <structname>CustomPath</> and <structname>CustomScan</>.
   <structfield>methods</> must point to a (usually statically allocated)
   object implementing the required custom scan state methods, which are
   further detailed below.  Typically, a <structname>CustomScanState</>, which
   need not support <function>copyObject</>, will actually be a larger
   structure embedding the above as its first member.
  </para>

  <sect2 id="custom-scan-execution-callbacks">
   <title>Custom Scan Execution Callbacks</title>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*BeginCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node,
                         EState *estate,
                         int eflags);
</programlisting>
    Complete initialization of the supplied <structname>CustomScanState</>.
    Standard fields have been initialized by <function>ExecInitCustomScan</>,
    but any private fields should be initialized here.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
TupleTableSlot *(*ExecCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node);
</programlisting>
    Fetch the next scan tuple.  If any tuples remain, it should fill
    <literal>ps_ResultTupleSlot</> with the next tuple in the current scan
    direction, and then return the tuple slot.  If not,
    <literal>NULL</> or an empty slot should be returned.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*EndCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node);
</programlisting>
    Clean up any private data associated with the <literal>CustomScanState</>.
    This method is required, but it does not need to do anything if there is
    no associated data or it will be cleaned up automatically.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*ReScanCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node);
</programlisting>
    Rewind the current scan to the beginning and prepare to rescan the
    relation.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*MarkPosCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node);
</programlisting>
    Save the current scan position so that it can subsequently be restored
    by the <function>RestrPosCustomScan</> callback.  This callback is
    optional, and need only be supplied if the
    <literal>CUSTOMPATH_SUPPORT_MARK_RESTORE</> flag is set.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*RestrPosCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node);
</programlisting>
    Restore the previous scan position as saved by the
    <function>MarkPosCustomScan</> callback.  This callback is optional,
    and need only be supplied if the
    <literal>CUSTOMPATH_SUPPORT_MARK_RESTORE</> flag is set.
   </para>

   <para>
<programlisting>
void (*ExplainCustomScan) (CustomScanState *node,
                           List *ancestors,
                           ExplainState *es);
</programlisting>
    Output additional information for <command>EXPLAIN</> of a custom-scan
    plan node.  This callback is optional.  Common data stored in the
    <structname>ScanState</>, such as the target list and scan relation, will
    be shown even without this callback, but the callback allows the display
    of additional, private state.
   </para>
  </sect2>
 </sect1>
</chapter>