PostgreSQL Unused Indexes Test

While at one end indexes greatly enhance database performance, at the other they also add significant overhead to table change operations. Useless/unused indices can therefore be unnecessary resource hogs. Such indexes are typically not used by any regular query and may not enforce a constraint. However, these unneeded indexes cost you in several ways: they slow updates, inserts and deletes; they may keep HOT from updating the row in-place, requiring more VACUUMs; they take time to VACUUM; they add to query planning time; they take time to backup and restore. Administrators hence need to identify such indexes and eliminate them. The PostgreSQL Unused Indexes test helps administrators achieve the same. This test reports the number and names of unused/useless indexes, and thus prompts administrators to remove them so as to save the server from unnecessary performance degradations.

Target of the test : PostgreSQL server

Agent deploying the test: An internal/remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for the target PostgreSQL server

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test period	How often should the test be executed
Host	The IP address of the host for which this test is to be configured.
Port	The port on which the server is listening. The default port is 5432.
Username	In order to monitor a PostgreSQL server, you need to manually create a special database user account in every PostgreSQL database instance that requires monitoring. To know how to create such a user based on where the target PostgreSQL server is installed (whether on-premises or hosted on Cloud), refer to How does eG Enterprise Monitor PostgreSQL Server?.
Password	The password associated with the above Username (can be ‘NULL’). Here, ‘NULL’ means that the user does not have any password.
Confirm Password	Confirm the Password (if any) by retyping it here.
DB Name	The name of the database to connect to. The default is “postgres”.
Include DB	Specify a comma-separated list of databases that you wish to monitor in the Include DB text box.
Exclude DB	Specify a comma-separated list of databases that need to be excluded from monitoring in the Exclude DB text box. By default, this is set to rdsadmin. Note: If you are monitoring a PostgreSQL server hosted on AWS cloud, then make sure that you do not remove 'rdsadmin' from the Exclude DB list.
SSL	If the PostgreSQL server being monitored is an SSL-enabled server, then set the SSL flag to Yes. If not, then set the SSL flag to No.
Verify CA	If the eG agent is required to establish an encrypted connection with the target PostGreSQL Database server by authenticating the server's identity through verifying the server CA certificate, set Verify CA flag to Yes. By default, this flag is set to No.
CA Cert File	This parameter is applicable only if the target PostGreSQL Database is SSL-enabled.The certificate file is a public-key certificate following the x.509 standard. It contains information about the identity of the server, such as its name, geolocation, and public key. Each nodes of the target cluster can have individual certificate files or a single certificate can be used to access all the nodes in the cluster. Essentially, it’s a certificate that the server serves to the connecting users to prove that they are what they claim to be. Therefore, specify the full path to the server root certificate or certificate file that is signed by the CA in .crt file format for all/each node in the CA Cert File text box. For example, the location of this file may be: C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\PostGreQL-test-ca.crt. By default, this parameter is set to none. This parameter specification differs according to the type of cluster and configuration: If the certificate file is available for each node of the PostGreSQL Cluster then, provide a comma-seperated list of full path to the certificates in CA Cert File text box: For example:C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\postgresql-test-ca.crt,C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\postgresql-test-ca2.crt,C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\postgresql-test-ca3.crt Specify the full path to the certificate file of the target PostGreSQL Database if a single certificate is used to access all nodes. For example: C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\postgresql-test-ca.crt
Client Cert File	This parameter is applicable only if the target PostGreSQL Database is SSL-enabled. In order to collect metrics from the target MongoDB cluster, the eG agent requires client certificate in .p12 format. Hence, specify the full path to the Client certificate file in .p12 format in the Client Cert File text box. For example, the location of this file may be: C:\app\eGurkha\JRE\lib\security\test-client.p12.
Client Key File	A client key file refers to a file containing the private key that corresponds to the public key used by a client. Provide full path of the file containing client key.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Number of indexes:	Indicates the number of indexes that are currently unused/useless on the server.	Number	A high value of this measure is a cause for concern. Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to identify the unused indexes and take measures to get rid of them.