Explore the development of IO prefetching for PostgreSQL in this 30-minute conference talk from Citus Con: An Event for Postgres 2022. Dive into the basics of IO prefetching, the proposed algorithm for direct and asynchronous IO, and the process of refining a prefetching model. Learn about the challenges faced during development, the advantages of simulation, and how to evaluate prefetching simulation output. Gain insights into the work-in-progress algorithm and future steps for implementation. Conclude with a Q&A session featuring speaker Melanie Plageman, a Postgres database hacker at Microsoft, and Marco.

Syllabus

Introduction.
What is prefetching?.
Prefetching development issues & challenges.
Advantages of simulation.
Evaluating prefetching simulation output.
Algorithm work-in-progress.
Next steps.
Q&A with Melanie & Marco .