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Synopsis

pg_hint_plan makes it possible to tweak PostgreSQL execution plans using “hints” in SQL comments, as of /*+ SeqScan(a) */.

PostgreSQL uses a cost-based optimizer, which utilizes data statistics, not static rules. The planner (optimizer) estimates costs of each possible execution plans for a SQL statement then the execution plan with the lowest cost is executed. The planner does its best to select the best execution plan, but is not always perfect, since it doesn’t take into account some of the data properties or correlations between columns.