Thse directories take the Query structure returned by the parser, and generate a plan used by the executor. The /plan directory generates the plan, the /path generates all possible ways to join the tables, and /prep handles special cases like inheritance. /utils is utility stuff. planner() handle inheritance by processing separately -init_query_planner() preprocess target list preprocess qualifications(WHERE) --query_planner() cnfify qualification, so qual are expressions (were AND's) and OR clauses pull out constants from target list get a target list that only contains column names, no expressions if none, then return ---subplanner() make list of relations in target make list of relations in where clause find which relations can do merge sort and hash joins ----find_paths() find scan and all index paths for each relation not yet joined one relation, return find selectivity of columns used in joins -----find_join_paths() Summary: With OPTIMIZER_DEBUG defined, you see: Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 are joined as: {1 2},{1 3},{1 4},{2 3},{2 4} {1 2 3},{1 2 4},{2 3 4} {1 2 3 4} Actual output tests show combinations: {4 2},{3 2},{1 4},{1 3},{1 2} {4 2 3},{1 4 2},{1 3 2} {4 2 3 1} Cheapest join order shows: {4 2},{3 2},{1 4},{1 3},{1 2} {3 2 4},{1 4 2},{1 3 2} {1 4 2 3} It first finds the best way to join each table to every other table. It then takes those joined table combinations, and joins them to the other joined table combinations, until all tables are joined. jump to geqo if needed again: find_join_rels(): for each joinrel: find_clause_joins() for each join on joinrel: if a join from the join clause adds only one relation, do the join or find_clauseless_joins() find_all_join_paths() generate paths(nested,sortmerge) for joins found in find_join_rels() prune_joinrels() remove from the join list the relation we just added to each join prune_rel_paths() set cheapest and perhaps remove unordered path, recompute table sizes if we have not done all the tables, go to "again" do group(GROUP) do aggregate put back constants re-flatten target list make unique(DISTINCT) make sort(ORDER BY)