sdale@xxxxxx ("Simon Dale") wrote: > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt; > font-family:Arial'>Event with the planning removed, the function still performs > significantly slower than the raw SQL. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong > with the creation or calling of the > function?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> I'd expect this, yes. You're doing something via "stored procedure logic" that would be done more directly via straight SQL; of course it won't be faster. In effect, pl/pgsql involves (planning once) then running each line of logic. In effect, you replaced one query (select * from some table) into 90 queries. Yup, there's extra cost there. There's not some "magic" by which stored procedures provide results faster as a natural "matter of course;" the performance benefits generally fall out of two improvements: 1. You eliminate client-to-server round trips. A stored proc that runs 8 queries saves you 8 round trips over submitting the 8 queries directly. Saving you latency time. 2. You can eliminate the marshalling and transmission of unnecessary data. A stored proc that runs 8 queries, and only returns summarized results that all come from the last table queried will eliminate the need to marshall and transmit (possibly over a slow link) the data for the 7 preceding queries. The case that you tried can benefit from neither of those effects; your stored procedure eliminates NO round trips, and NO marshalling/transmission. -- (format nil "~S@~S" "cbbrowne" "gmail.com") http://linuxdatabases.info/info/rdbms.html Rules of the Evil Overlord #228. "If the hero claims he wishes to confess in public or to me personally, I will remind him that a notarized deposition will serve just as well." <http://www.eviloverlord.com/>