Performance changes in 9.1
The upcoming PostgreSQL 9.1 release is packed full of awesome new features, but let's not forget the performance improvements which will also arrive with it. Every version of PostgreSQL brings about performance improvements in various areas, and 9.1 is no different. Here's a brief overview of some, but not all, of the changes affecting performance: Checkpoints now with less spikes When checkpoints occur on a database, they can result in an I/O spike. 9.1 has the option to spread the checkpoint fsync calls out so that the system doesn't grind to a halt when flushing. In addition to this, there's been a change which will remove duplicate requests to the background writer, meaning even less I/O, so checkpoints are now lighter and smoother than ever. These changes haven't yet made it in, but they're in-progress. Integer to text casts quicker The conversion of a signed integer to text now happens in hand-coded internal code as it's faster than the previou...