On-disk Bitmap Index in PostgreSQL

This repository has an on-disk bitmap index access method embeddedin PostgreSQL 8.3.23 kernel.

As is known to all, PostgreSQL official releases do not provide on-disk version bitmap index access method. This prevents many Postgres database addicts from testing bitmap index performance.

In fact, back to 2006 - 2008, Postgres Global Development Group were trying to implement this index and delivering it as a patch. However, afterwards, they gave up this plan and removed this prototype from the official Postgres release. The patch's source code is partially available at Greenplum Database and Postgres Community Mailing List and it relies on an unreleased version of Postgres which is between 8.2 and 8.3 (I have not figured it out).

We combined the fragments of this on-disk bitmap index patch, modified them and implemented this index into PostgreSQL 8.3.23 offical release. Researchs now can play this bitmap index and try to compare it with any other indexes.

Note that: the performance of this on-disk bitmap index patch is very unstable and not fully tested. The reliability is not guaranteed.

#Play around with Bitmap Index

For the ease of testing, we have implemented this on-disk Bitmap Index into PostgreSQL kernel (8.3.23) as one of the backend access methods. This verision is designed to be run on a Linux operating system.

Download the source code

https://github.com/jiayuasu/bitmap-postgresql.git

Build and Installation

Once you've synced with GitHub, the folder should contain the source code for PostgreSQL. The build and installation steps are exactly same with official PostgreSQL.

Note that: Due to some issues of GCC compiler, you have to use an old version of GCC (gcc 4.7 works for this) to compile the source code. Otherwise, the binary code won't work.

$ cd SourceFolder
$ ./configure
$ make
$ su
$ make install
$ adduser postgres
$ mkdir /usr/local/pgsql/data
$ chown postgres /usr/local/pgsql/data
$ su - postgres
$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data
$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/postgres -D /usr/local/pgsql/data >logfile 2>&1 &
$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/createdb test
$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/psql test

PostgreSQL Regression Test

After the installation, you have to make sure the source code on your machine pass all the PostgreSQL Regression Tests (115 in total).

$ cd SourceFolder

$ make check

Usage in SQL

Here list some SQL commands of Bitmap index. For more details, please see the following Bitmap index test SQL script:

./src/test/regress/sql/bitmap_index.sql

Build Bitmap Index

CREATE INDEX bitmap_idx ON bitmap_tbl USING bitmap(randomNumber);

Query Bitmap Index

SELECT * FROM bitmap_tbl WHERE randomNumber = 1;

Drop Bitmap Index

DROP INDEX bitmap_idx;

Currently supported data type

Integer (stable), and most of the common data types in Postgres (unstable)

Currently supported operator

<, <=, =, >=, >

For using Bitmap Index in PostgreSQL Regression Test Mode, you need to

• Read and change Bitmap index test SQL script:

./src/test/regress/sql/bitmap_index.sql

• View Bitmap index test SQL script output:

./src/test/regress/results/bitmap_index.out

• Modify Regression Test schedule if necessary

./src/test/regress/parallel_schedule

Bitmap Index patch source code origins

[1] Postgres patch difference comparison result:

https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/attachment/19180/bitmap-4.diff

[2] Greeplum database Github source code:

https://github.com/greenplum-db/gpdb/tree/master/src/backend/access/bitmap

[3] Postgres Gloabl Developement Group discussion:

https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/[email protected]

[4] Bitmap Index main idea from Postgres Wiki

https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Bitmap_Indexes

Contact

Only for bitmap index patch integration issues

Contributors

• Jia Yu (Email: [email protected])

• Mohamed Sarwat (Email: [email protected])

DataSys Lab

DataSys Lab at Arizona State University aims at designing and developing experimental data management systems (e.g., database systems).

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PostgreSQL Database Management System

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