PostgreSQL: Query Planning Gets Smarter

Today we're diving into some fascinating improvements to PostgreSQL's query planner, with Robert Haas leading the charge on making pg_plan_advice more robust and intelligent. We also see quality-of-life improvements for developers working with psql and some important shared memory cleanup work from Heikki Linnakangas.

Duration: PT3M49S

Episode overview

This episode is a short developer briefing from PostgreSQL.

It explains recent repository work in plain language.

  • Show: PostgreSQL
  • Published: 2026-03-27T10:04:30Z
  • Audio duration: PT3M49S

Transcript excerpt

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Hey there, fellow code enthusiasts! Welcome back to another episode of the PostgreSQL podcast. I'm your host, and wow, do we have some fascinating stuff to dig into today from March 27th, 2026.

You know that feeling when you're working on something complex and you realize you need to step back and really think through the architecture? Well, that's exactly what's been happening in PostgreSQL land, and I'm genuinely excited to share these changes with you.

So we didn't have any merged pull requests today, but don't let that fool you - we've got 26 commits that are absolutely packed with thoughtful improvements. And let me tell you, some of these changes are the kind that make you go "oh, that's clever!"

Let's start with the star of the show - Robert Haas has been doing some seriously impressive work on the pg_plan_advice module. Now, if you haven't worked with query planning before, think of it like this: when PostgreSQL needs to execute your query, it's like a GPS trying to find the best route to your destination.…

Robert tackled a really tricky problem where concurrent activity could mess with query planning tests. The solution? A brilliant new DO_NOT_SCAN advice tag that basically…

B…

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