Greg Smith wrote:
If you're going to the trouble of building a tool for offering configuration advice, it can be widly more effective if you look inside the database after it's got data in it, and preferably after it's been running under load for a while, and make your recommendations based on all that information.
There are two completely different problems that are getting mixed together in this discussion. Several people have tried to distinguish them, but let's be explicit: 1. Generating a resonable starting configuration for neophyte users who have installed Postgres for the first time. 2. Generating an optimal configuration for a complex, running system that's loaded with data. The first problem is easy: Any improvement would be welcome and would give most users a better initial experience. The second problem is nearly impossible. Forget the second problem (or put it on the "let's find someone doing a PhD project" list), and focus on the first.
