diff --git a/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c b/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c
index c4236f5fcc..5beb6359a8 100644
--- a/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c
+++ b/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c,v 1.86 2004/08/29 04:12:31 momjian Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeHash.c,v 1.87 2004/09/22 19:13:49 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------
  *		ExecHash
  *
- *		build hash table for hashjoin, all do partitioning if more
- *		than one batches are required.
+ *		build hash table for hashjoin, doing partitioning if more
+ *		than one batch is required.
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 TupleTableSlot *
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ ExecHash(HashState *node)
 		slot = ExecProcNode(outerNode);
 		if (TupIsNull(slot))
 			break;
+		hashtable->hashNonEmpty = true;
 		econtext->ecxt_innertuple = slot;
 		ExecHashTableInsert(hashtable, econtext, hashkeys);
 		ExecClearTuple(slot);
@@ -189,7 +190,7 @@ ExecEndHash(HashState *node)
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------
  *		ExecHashTableCreate
  *
- *		create a hashtable in shared memory for hashjoin.
+ *		create an empty hashtable data structure for hashjoin.
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 HashJoinTable
@@ -226,12 +227,13 @@ ExecHashTableCreate(Hash *node, List *hashOperators)
 	 * The hashtable control block is just palloc'd from the executor's
 	 * per-query memory context.
 	 */
-	hashtable = (HashJoinTable) palloc(sizeof(HashTableData));
+	hashtable = (HashJoinTable) palloc(sizeof(HashJoinTableData));
 	hashtable->nbuckets = nbuckets;
 	hashtable->totalbuckets = totalbuckets;
 	hashtable->buckets = NULL;
 	hashtable->nbatch = nbatch;
 	hashtable->curbatch = 0;
+	hashtable->hashNonEmpty = false;
 	hashtable->innerBatchFile = NULL;
 	hashtable->outerBatchFile = NULL;
 	hashtable->innerBatchSize = NULL;
diff --git a/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c b/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c
index 53215be6e9..294f481cdf 100644
--- a/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c
+++ b/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c,v 1.65 2004/09/17 18:28:53 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeHashjoin.c,v 1.66 2004/09/22 19:13:49 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -127,6 +127,17 @@ ExecHashJoin(HashJoinState *node)
 		hashNode->hashtable = hashtable;
 		(void) ExecProcNode((PlanState *) hashNode);
 
+		/*
+		 * If the inner relation is completely empty, and we're not doing
+		 * an outer join, we can quit without scanning the outer relation.
+		 */
+		if (!hashtable->hashNonEmpty && node->js.jointype != JOIN_LEFT)
+		{
+			ExecHashTableDestroy(hashtable);
+			node->hj_HashTable = NULL;
+			return NULL;
+		}
+
 		/*
 		 * Open temp files for outer batches, if needed. Note that file
 		 * buffers are palloc'd in regular executor context.
@@ -138,10 +149,8 @@ ExecHashJoin(HashJoinState *node)
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Now get an outer tuple and probe into the hash table for matches
+	 * run the hash join process
 	 */
-	outerTupleSlot = node->js.ps.ps_OuterTupleSlot;
-
 	for (;;)
 	{
 		/*
@@ -226,7 +235,7 @@ ExecHashJoin(HashJoinState *node)
 			 * Only the joinquals determine MatchedOuter status, but all
 			 * quals must pass to actually return the tuple.
 			 */
-			if (ExecQual(joinqual, econtext, false))
+			if (joinqual == NIL || ExecQual(joinqual, econtext, false))
 			{
 				node->hj_MatchedOuter = true;
 
diff --git a/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h b/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h
index 5dd6c5c8fe..8a2eba8e0b 100644
--- a/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h
+++ b/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2004, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h,v 1.32 2004/08/29 04:13:06 momjian Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/include/executor/hashjoin.h,v 1.33 2004/09/22 19:13:52 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ typedef struct HashJoinTupleData
 
 typedef HashJoinTupleData *HashJoinTuple;
 
-typedef struct HashTableData
+typedef struct HashJoinTableData
 {
 	int			nbuckets;		/* buckets in use during this batch */
 	int			totalbuckets;	/* total number of (virtual) buckets */
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ typedef struct HashTableData
 	int			nbatch;			/* number of batches; 0 means 1-pass join */
 	int			curbatch;		/* current batch #, or 0 during 1st pass */
 
+	bool		hashNonEmpty;	/* did inner plan produce any rows? */
+
 	/*
 	 * all these arrays are allocated for the life of the hash join, but
 	 * only if nbatch > 0:
@@ -90,8 +92,8 @@ typedef struct HashTableData
 
 	MemoryContext hashCxt;		/* context for whole-hash-join storage */
 	MemoryContext batchCxt;		/* context for this-batch-only storage */
-} HashTableData;
+} HashJoinTableData;
 
-typedef HashTableData *HashJoinTable;
+typedef HashJoinTableData *HashJoinTable;
 
 #endif   /* HASHJOIN_H */