<!-- doc/src/sgml/fdwhandler.sgml -->

 <chapter id="fdwhandler">
   <title>Writing A Foreign Data Wrapper</title>

   <indexterm zone="fdwhandler">
    <primary>foreign data wrapper</primary>
    <secondary>handler for</secondary>
   </indexterm>

   <para>
    All operations on a foreign table are handled through its foreign data
    wrapper, which consists of a set of functions that the core server
    calls.  The foreign data wrapper is responsible for fetching
    data from the remote data source and returning it to the
    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> executor.  If updating foreign
    tables is to be supported, the wrapper must handle that, too.
    This chapter outlines how to write a new foreign data wrapper.
   </para>

   <para>
    The foreign data wrappers included in the standard distribution are good
    references when trying to write your own.  Look into the
    <filename>contrib</> subdirectory of the source tree.
    The <xref linkend="sql-createforeigndatawrapper"> reference page also has
    some useful details.
   </para>

   <note>
    <para>
     The SQL standard specifies an interface for writing foreign data wrappers.
     However, PostgreSQL does not implement that API, because the effort to
     accommodate it into PostgreSQL would be large, and the standard API hasn't
     gained wide adoption anyway.
    </para>
   </note>

   <sect1 id="fdw-functions">
    <title>Foreign Data Wrapper Functions</title>

    <para>
     The FDW author needs to implement a handler function, and optionally
     a validator function. Both functions must be written in a compiled
     language such as C, using the version-1 interface.
     For details on C language calling conventions and dynamic loading,
     see <xref linkend="xfunc-c">.
    </para>

    <para>
     The handler function simply returns a struct of function pointers to
     callback functions that will be called by the planner, executor, and
     various maintenance commands.
     Most of the effort in writing an FDW is in implementing these callback
     functions.
     The handler function must be registered with
     <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> as taking no arguments and
     returning the special pseudo-type <type>fdw_handler</type>.  The
     callback functions are plain C functions and are not visible or
     callable at the SQL level.  The callback functions are described in
     <xref linkend="fdw-callbacks">.
    </para>

    <para>
     The validator function is responsible for validating options given in
     <command>CREATE</command> and <command>ALTER</command> commands for its
     foreign data wrapper, as well as foreign servers, user mappings, and
     foreign tables using the wrapper.
     The validator function must be registered as taking two arguments, a
     text array containing the options to be validated, and an OID
     representing the type of object the options are associated with (in
     the form of the OID of the system catalog the object would be stored
     in, either
     <literal>ForeignDataWrapperRelationId</>,
     <literal>ForeignServerRelationId</>,
     <literal>UserMappingRelationId</>,
     or <literal>ForeignTableRelationId</>).
     If no validator function is supplied, options are not checked at object
     creation time or object alteration time.
    </para>

   </sect1>

   <sect1 id="fdw-callbacks">
    <title>Foreign Data Wrapper Callback Routines</title>

    <para>
     The FDW handler function returns a palloc'd <structname>FdwRoutine</>
     struct containing pointers to the callback functions described below.
     The scan-related functions are required, the rest are optional.
    </para>

    <para>
     The <structname>FdwRoutine</> struct type is declared in
     <filename>src/include/foreign/fdwapi.h</>, which see for additional
     details.
    </para>

   <sect2 id="fdw-callbacks-scan">
    <title>FDW Routines For Scanning Foreign Tables</title>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
GetForeignRelSize (PlannerInfo *root,
                   RelOptInfo *baserel,
                   Oid foreigntableid);
</programlisting>

     Obtain relation size estimates for a foreign table.  This is called
     at the beginning of planning for a query that scans a foreign table.
     <literal>root</> is the planner's global information about the query;
     <literal>baserel</> is the planner's information about this table; and
     <literal>foreigntableid</> is the <structname>pg_class</> OID of the
     foreign table.  (<literal>foreigntableid</> could be obtained from the
     planner data structures, but it's passed explicitly to save effort.)
    </para>

    <para>
     This function should update <literal>baserel-&gt;rows</> to be the
     expected number of rows returned by the table scan, after accounting for
     the filtering done by the restriction quals.  The initial value of
     <literal>baserel-&gt;rows</> is just a constant default estimate, which
     should be replaced if at all possible.  The function may also choose to
     update <literal>baserel-&gt;width</> if it can compute a better estimate
     of the average result row width.
    </para>

    <para>
     See <xref linkend="fdw-planning"> for additional information.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
GetForeignPaths (PlannerInfo *root,
                 RelOptInfo *baserel,
                 Oid foreigntableid);
</programlisting>

     Create possible access paths for a scan on a foreign table.
     This is called during query planning.
     The parameters are the same as for <function>GetForeignRelSize</>,
     which has already been called.
    </para>

    <para>
     This function must generate at least one access path
     (<structname>ForeignPath</> node) for a scan on the foreign table and
     must call <function>add_path</> to add each such path to
     <literal>baserel-&gt;pathlist</>.  It's recommended to use
     <function>create_foreignscan_path</> to build the
     <structname>ForeignPath</> nodes.  The function can generate multiple
     access paths, e.g., a path which has valid <literal>pathkeys</> to
     represent a pre-sorted result.  Each access path must contain cost
     estimates, and can contain any FDW-private information that is needed to
     identify the specific scan method intended.
    </para>

    <para>
     See <xref linkend="fdw-planning"> for additional information.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignScan *
GetForeignPlan (PlannerInfo *root,
                RelOptInfo *baserel,
                Oid foreigntableid,
                ForeignPath *best_path,
                List *tlist,
                List *scan_clauses);
</programlisting>

     Create a <structname>ForeignScan</> plan node from the selected foreign
     access path.  This is called at the end of query planning.
     The parameters are as for <function>GetForeignRelSize</>, plus
     the selected <structname>ForeignPath</> (previously produced by
     <function>GetForeignPaths</>), the target list to be emitted by the
     plan node, and the restriction clauses to be enforced by the plan node.
    </para>

    <para>
     This function must create and return a <structname>ForeignScan</> plan
     node; it's recommended to use <function>make_foreignscan</> to build the
     <structname>ForeignScan</> node.
    </para>

    <para>
     See <xref linkend="fdw-planning"> for additional information.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
BeginForeignScan (ForeignScanState *node,
                  int eflags);
</programlisting>

     Begin executing a foreign scan. This is called during executor startup.
     It should perform any initialization needed before the scan can start,
     but not start executing the actual scan (that should be done upon the
     first call to <function>IterateForeignScan</>).
     The <structname>ForeignScanState</> node has already been created, but
     its <structfield>fdw_state</> field is still NULL.  Information about
     the table to scan is accessible through the
     <structname>ForeignScanState</> node (in particular, from the underlying
     <structname>ForeignScan</> plan node, which contains any FDW-private
     information provided by <function>GetForeignPlan</>).
     <literal>eflags</> contains flag bits describing the executor's
     operating mode for this plan node.
    </para>

    <para>
     Note that when <literal>(eflags &amp; EXEC_FLAG_EXPLAIN_ONLY)</> is
     true, this function should not perform any externally-visible actions;
     it should only do the minimum required to make the node state valid
     for <function>ExplainForeignScan</> and <function>EndForeignScan</>.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
TupleTableSlot *
IterateForeignScan (ForeignScanState *node);
</programlisting>

     Fetch one row from the foreign source, returning it in a tuple table slot
     (the node's <structfield>ScanTupleSlot</> should be used for this
     purpose).  Return NULL if no more rows are available.  The tuple table
     slot infrastructure allows either a physical or virtual tuple to be
     returned; in most cases the latter choice is preferable from a
     performance standpoint.  Note that this is called in a short-lived memory
     context that will be reset between invocations.  Create a memory context
     in <function>BeginForeignScan</> if you need longer-lived storage, or use
     the <structfield>es_query_cxt</> of the node's <structname>EState</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     The rows returned must match the column signature of the foreign table
     being scanned.  If you choose to optimize away fetching columns that
     are not needed, you should insert nulls in those column positions.
    </para>

    <para>
     Note that <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>'s executor doesn't care
     whether the rows returned violate any <literal>NOT NULL</literal>
     constraints that were defined on the foreign table columns &mdash; but
     the planner does care, and may optimize queries incorrectly if
     <literal>NULL</> values are present in a column declared not to contain
     them.  If a <literal>NULL</> value is encountered when the user has
     declared that none should be present, it may be appropriate to raise an
     error (just as you would need to do in the case of a data type mismatch).
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
ReScanForeignScan (ForeignScanState *node);
</programlisting>

     Restart the scan from the beginning.  Note that any parameters the
     scan depends on may have changed value, so the new scan does not
     necessarily return exactly the same rows.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
EndForeignScan (ForeignScanState *node);
</programlisting>

     End the scan and release resources.  It is normally not important
     to release palloc'd memory, but for example open files and connections
     to remote servers should be cleaned up.
    </para>

   </sect2>

   <sect2 id="fdw-callbacks-update">
    <title>FDW Routines For Updating Foreign Tables</title>

    <para>
     If an FDW supports writable foreign tables, it should provide
     some or all of the following callback functions depending on
     the needs and capabilities of the FDW:
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
AddForeignUpdateTargets (Query *parsetree,
                         RangeTblEntry *target_rte,
                         Relation target_relation);
</programlisting>

     <command>UPDATE</> and <command>DELETE</> operations are performed
     against rows previously fetched by the table-scanning functions.  The
     FDW may need extra information, such as a row ID or the values of
     primary-key columns, to ensure that it can identify the exact row to
     update or delete.  To support that, this function can add extra hidden,
     or <quote>junk</>, target columns to the list of columns that are to be
     retrieved from the foreign table during an <command>UPDATE</> or
     <command>DELETE</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     To do that, add <structname>TargetEntry</> items to
     <literal>parsetree-&gt;targetList</>, containing expressions for the
     extra values to be fetched.  Each such entry must be marked
     <structfield>resjunk</> = <literal>true</>, and must have a distinct
     <structfield>resname</> that will identify it at execution time.
     Avoid using names matching <literal>ctid<replaceable>N</></literal>,
     <literal>wholerow</literal>, or
     <literal>wholerow<replaceable>N</></literal>, as the core system can
     generate junk columns of these names.
    </para>

    <para>
     This function is called in the rewriter, not the planner, so the
     information available is a bit different from that available to the
     planning routines.
     <literal>parsetree</> is the parse tree for the <command>UPDATE</> or
     <command>DELETE</> command, while <literal>target_rte</> and
     <literal>target_relation</> describe the target foreign table.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>AddForeignUpdateTargets</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no extra target expressions are added.
     (This will make it impossible to implement <command>DELETE</>
     operations, though <command>UPDATE</> may still be feasible if the FDW
     relies on an unchanging primary key to identify rows.)
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
List *
PlanForeignModify (PlannerInfo *root,
                   ModifyTable *plan,
                   Index resultRelation,
                   int subplan_index);
</programlisting>

     Perform any additional planning actions needed for an insert, update, or
     delete on a foreign table.  This function generates the FDW-private
     information that will be attached to the <structname>ModifyTable</> plan
     node that performs the update action.  This private information must
     have the form of a <literal>List</>, and will be delivered to
     <function>BeginForeignModify</> during the execution stage.
    </para>

    <para>
     <literal>root</> is the planner's global information about the query.
     <literal>plan</> is the <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node, which is
     complete except for the <structfield>fdwPrivLists</> field.
     <literal>resultRelation</> identifies the target foreign table by its
     rangetable index.  <literal>subplan_index</> identifies which target of
     the <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node this is, counting from zero;
     use this if you want to index into <literal>plan-&gt;plans</> or other
     substructure of the <literal>plan</> node.
    </para>

    <para>
     See <xref linkend="fdw-planning"> for additional information.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>PlanForeignModify</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no additional plan-time actions are taken, and the
     <literal>fdw_private</> list delivered to
     <function>BeginForeignModify</> will be NIL.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
BeginForeignModify (ModifyTableState *mtstate,
                    ResultRelInfo *rinfo,
                    List *fdw_private,
                    int subplan_index,
                    int eflags);
</programlisting>

     Begin executing a foreign table modification operation.  This routine is
     called during executor startup.  It should perform any initialization
     needed prior to the actual table modifications.  Subsequently,
     <function>ExecForeignInsert</>, <function>ExecForeignUpdate</> or
     <function>ExecForeignDelete</> will be called for each tuple to be
     inserted, updated, or deleted.
    </para>

    <para>
     <literal>mtstate</> is the overall state of the
     <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node being executed; global data about
     the plan and execution state is available via this structure.
     <literal>rinfo</> is the <structname>ResultRelInfo</> struct describing
     the target foreign table.  (The <structfield>ri_FdwState</> field of
     <structname>ResultRelInfo</> is available for the FDW to store any
     private state it needs for this operation.)
     <literal>fdw_private</> contains the private data generated by
     <function>PlanForeignModify</>, if any.
     <literal>subplan_index</> identifies which target of
     the <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node this is.
     <literal>eflags</> contains flag bits describing the executor's
     operating mode for this plan node.
    </para>

    <para>
     Note that when <literal>(eflags &amp; EXEC_FLAG_EXPLAIN_ONLY)</> is
     true, this function should not perform any externally-visible actions;
     it should only do the minimum required to make the node state valid
     for <function>ExplainForeignModify</> and <function>EndForeignModify</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>BeginForeignModify</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no action is taken during executor startup.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
TupleTableSlot *
ExecForeignInsert (EState *estate,
                   ResultRelInfo *rinfo,
                   TupleTableSlot *slot,
                   TupleTableSlot *planSlot);
</programlisting>

     Insert one tuple into the foreign table.
     <literal>estate</> is global execution state for the query.
     <literal>rinfo</> is the <structname>ResultRelInfo</> struct describing
     the target foreign table.
     <literal>slot</> contains the tuple to be inserted; it will match the
     rowtype definition of the foreign table.
     <literal>planSlot</> contains the tuple that was generated by the
     <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node's subplan; it differs from
     <literal>slot</> in possibly containing additional <quote>junk</>
     columns.  (The <literal>planSlot</> is typically of little interest
     for <command>INSERT</> cases, but is provided for completeness.)
    </para>

    <para>
     The return value is either a slot containing the data that was actually
     inserted (this might differ from the data supplied, for example as a
     result of trigger actions), or NULL if no row was actually inserted
     (again, typically as a result of triggers).  The passed-in
     <literal>slot</> can be re-used for this purpose.
    </para>

    <para>
     The data in the returned slot is used only if the <command>INSERT</>
     query has a <literal>RETURNING</> clause or the foreign table has
     an <literal>AFTER ROW</> trigger.  Triggers require all columns, but the
     FDW could choose to optimize away returning some or all columns depending
     on the contents of the <literal>RETURNING</> clause.  Regardless, some
     slot must be returned to indicate success, or the query's reported row
     count will be wrong.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>ExecForeignInsert</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, attempts to insert into the foreign table will fail
     with an error message.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
TupleTableSlot *
ExecForeignUpdate (EState *estate,
                   ResultRelInfo *rinfo,
                   TupleTableSlot *slot,
                   TupleTableSlot *planSlot);
</programlisting>

     Update one tuple in the foreign table.
     <literal>estate</> is global execution state for the query.
     <literal>rinfo</> is the <structname>ResultRelInfo</> struct describing
     the target foreign table.
     <literal>slot</> contains the new data for the tuple; it will match the
     rowtype definition of the foreign table.
     <literal>planSlot</> contains the tuple that was generated by the
     <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node's subplan; it differs from
     <literal>slot</> in possibly containing additional <quote>junk</>
     columns.  In particular, any junk columns that were requested by
     <function>AddForeignUpdateTargets</> will be available from this slot.
    </para>

    <para>
     The return value is either a slot containing the row as it was actually
     updated (this might differ from the data supplied, for example as a
     result of trigger actions), or NULL if no row was actually updated
     (again, typically as a result of triggers).  The passed-in
     <literal>slot</> can be re-used for this purpose.
    </para>

    <para>
     The data in the returned slot is used only if the <command>UPDATE</>
     query has a <literal>RETURNING</> clause or the foreign table has
     an <literal>AFTER ROW</> trigger.  Triggers require all columns, but the
     FDW could choose to optimize away returning some or all columns depending
     on the contents of the <literal>RETURNING</> clause.  Regardless, some
     slot must be returned to indicate success, or the query's reported row
     count will be wrong.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>ExecForeignUpdate</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, attempts to update the foreign table will fail
     with an error message.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
TupleTableSlot *
ExecForeignDelete (EState *estate,
                   ResultRelInfo *rinfo,
                   TupleTableSlot *slot,
                   TupleTableSlot *planSlot);
</programlisting>

     Delete one tuple from the foreign table.
     <literal>estate</> is global execution state for the query.
     <literal>rinfo</> is the <structname>ResultRelInfo</> struct describing
     the target foreign table.
     <literal>slot</> contains nothing useful upon call, but can be used to
     hold the returned tuple.
     <literal>planSlot</> contains the tuple that was generated by the
     <structname>ModifyTable</> plan node's subplan; in particular, it will
     carry any junk columns that were requested by
     <function>AddForeignUpdateTargets</>.  The junk column(s) must be used
     to identify the tuple to be deleted.
    </para>

    <para>
     The return value is either a slot containing the row that was deleted,
     or NULL if no row was deleted (typically as a result of triggers).  The
     passed-in <literal>slot</> can be used to hold the tuple to be returned.
    </para>

    <para>
     The data in the returned slot is used only if the <command>DELETE</>
     query has a <literal>RETURNING</> clause or the foreign table has
     an <literal>AFTER ROW</> trigger.  Triggers require all columns, but the
     FDW could choose to optimize away returning some or all columns depending
     on the contents of the <literal>RETURNING</> clause.  Regardless, some
     slot must be returned to indicate success, or the query's reported row
     count will be wrong.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>ExecForeignDelete</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, attempts to delete from the foreign table will fail
     with an error message.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
EndForeignModify (EState *estate,
                  ResultRelInfo *rinfo);
</programlisting>

     End the table update and release resources.  It is normally not important
     to release palloc'd memory, but for example open files and connections
     to remote servers should be cleaned up.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>EndForeignModify</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no action is taken during executor shutdown.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
int
IsForeignRelUpdatable (Relation rel);
</programlisting>

     Report which update operations the specified foreign table supports.
     The return value should be a bitmask of rule event numbers indicating
     which operations are supported by the foreign table, using the
     <literal>CmdType</> enumeration; that is,
     <literal>(1 << CMD_UPDATE) = 4</> for <command>UPDATE</>,
     <literal>(1 << CMD_INSERT) = 8</> for <command>INSERT</>, and
     <literal>(1 << CMD_DELETE) = 16</> for <command>DELETE</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>IsForeignRelUpdatable</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, foreign tables are assumed to be insertable, updatable,
     or deletable if the FDW provides <function>ExecForeignInsert</>,
     <function>ExecForeignUpdate</>, or <function>ExecForeignDelete</>
     respectively.  This function is only needed if the FDW supports some
     tables that are updatable and some that are not.  (Even then, it's
     permissible to throw an error in the execution routine instead of
     checking in this function.  However, this function is used to determine
     updatability for display in the <literal>information_schema</> views.)
    </para>

   </sect2>

   <sect2 id="fdw-callbacks-explain">
    <title>FDW Routines for <command>EXPLAIN</></title>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
ExplainForeignScan (ForeignScanState *node,
                    ExplainState *es);
</programlisting>

     Print additional <command>EXPLAIN</> output for a foreign table scan.
     This function can call <function>ExplainPropertyText</> and
     related functions to add fields to the <command>EXPLAIN</> output.
     The flag fields in <literal>es</> can be used to determine what to
     print, and the state of the <structname>ForeignScanState</> node
     can be inspected to provide run-time statistics in the <command>EXPLAIN
     ANALYZE</> case.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>ExplainForeignScan</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no additional information is printed during
     <command>EXPLAIN</>.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
void
ExplainForeignModify (ModifyTableState *mtstate,
                      ResultRelInfo *rinfo,
                      List *fdw_private,
                      int subplan_index,
                      struct ExplainState *es);
</programlisting>

     Print additional <command>EXPLAIN</> output for a foreign table update.
     This function can call <function>ExplainPropertyText</> and
     related functions to add fields to the <command>EXPLAIN</> output.
     The flag fields in <literal>es</> can be used to determine what to
     print, and the state of the <structname>ModifyTableState</> node
     can be inspected to provide run-time statistics in the <command>EXPLAIN
     ANALYZE</> case.  The first four arguments are the same as for
     <function>BeginForeignModify</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the <function>ExplainForeignModify</> pointer is set to
     <literal>NULL</>, no additional information is printed during
     <command>EXPLAIN</>.
    </para>

   </sect2>

   <sect2 id="fdw-callbacks-analyze">
    <title>FDW Routines for <command>ANALYZE</></title>

    <para>
<programlisting>
bool
AnalyzeForeignTable (Relation relation,
                     AcquireSampleRowsFunc *func,
                     BlockNumber *totalpages);
</programlisting>

     This function is called when <xref linkend="sql-analyze"> is executed on
     a foreign table.  If the FDW can collect statistics for this
     foreign table, it should return <literal>true</>, and provide a pointer
     to a function that will collect sample rows from the table in
     <parameter>func</>, plus the estimated size of the table in pages in
     <parameter>totalpages</>.  Otherwise, return <literal>false</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the FDW does not support collecting statistics for any tables, the
     <function>AnalyzeForeignTable</> pointer can be set to <literal>NULL</>.
    </para>

    <para>
     If provided, the sample collection function must have the signature
<programlisting>
int
AcquireSampleRowsFunc (Relation relation, int elevel,
                       HeapTuple *rows, int targrows,
                       double *totalrows,
                       double *totaldeadrows);
</programlisting>

     A random sample of up to <parameter>targrows</> rows should be collected
     from the table and stored into the caller-provided <parameter>rows</>
     array.  The actual number of rows collected must be returned.  In
     addition, store estimates of the total numbers of live and dead rows in
     the table into the output parameters <parameter>totalrows</> and
     <parameter>totaldeadrows</>.  (Set <parameter>totaldeadrows</> to zero
     if the FDW does not have any concept of dead rows.)
    </para>

   </sect2>

   <sect2 id="fdw-callbacks-import">
    <title>FDW Routines For <command>IMPORT FOREIGN SCHEMA</></title>

    <para>
<programlisting>
List *
ImportForeignSchema (ImportForeignSchemaStmt *stmt, Oid serverOid);
</programlisting>

     Obtain a list of foreign table creation commands.  This function is
     called when executing <xref linkend="sql-importforeignschema">, and is
     passed the parse tree for that statement, as well as the OID of the
     foreign server to use.  It should return a list of C strings, each of
     which must contain a <xref linkend="sql-createforeigntable"> command.
     These strings will be parsed and executed by the core server.
    </para>

    <para>
     Within the <structname>ImportForeignSchemaStmt</> struct,
     <structfield>remote_schema</> is the name of the remote schema from
     which tables are to be imported.
     <structfield>list_type</> identifies how to filter table names:
     <literal>FDW_IMPORT_SCHEMA_ALL</> means that all tables in the remote
     schema should be imported (in this case <structfield>table_list</> is
     empty), <literal>FDW_IMPORT_SCHEMA_LIMIT_TO</> means to include only
     tables listed in <structfield>table_list</>,
     and <literal>FDW_IMPORT_SCHEMA_EXCEPT</> means to exclude the tables
     listed in <structfield>table_list</>.
     <structfield>options</> is a list of options used for the import process.
     The meanings of the options are up to the FDW.
     For example, an FDW could use an option to define whether the
     <literal>NOT NULL</> attributes of columns should be imported.
     These options need not have anything to do with those supported by the
     FDW as database object options.
    </para>

    <para>
     The FDW may ignore the <structfield>local_schema</> field of
     the <structname>ImportForeignSchemaStmt</>, because the core server
     will automatically insert that name into the parsed <command>CREATE
     FOREIGN TABLE</> commands.
    </para>

    <para>
     The FDW does not have to concern itself with implementing the filtering
     specified by <structfield>list_type</> and <structfield>table_list</>,
     either, as the core server will automatically skip any returned commands
     for tables excluded according to those options.  However, it's often
     useful to avoid the work of creating commands for excluded tables in the
     first place.  The function <function>IsImportableForeignTable()</> may be
     useful to test whether a given foreign-table name will pass the filter.
    </para>

    <para>
     If the FDW does not support importing table definitions, the
     <function>ImportForeignSchema</> pointer can be set to <literal>NULL</>.
    </para>

   </sect2>

   </sect1>

   <sect1 id="fdw-helpers">
    <title>Foreign Data Wrapper Helper Functions</title>

    <para>
     Several helper functions are exported from the core server so that
     authors of foreign data wrappers can get easy access to attributes of
     FDW-related objects, such as FDW options.
     To use any of these functions, you need to include the header file
     <filename>foreign/foreign.h</filename> in your source file.
     That header also defines the struct types that are returned by
     these functions.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignDataWrapper *
GetForeignDataWrapper(Oid fdwid);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>ForeignDataWrapper</structname>
     object for the foreign-data wrapper with the given OID.  A
     <structname>ForeignDataWrapper</structname> object contains properties
     of the FDW (see <filename>foreign/foreign.h</filename> for details).
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignServer *
GetForeignServer(Oid serverid);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>ForeignServer</structname> object
     for the foreign server with the given OID.  A
     <structname>ForeignServer</structname> object contains properties
     of the server (see <filename>foreign/foreign.h</filename> for details).
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
UserMapping *
GetUserMapping(Oid userid, Oid serverid);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>UserMapping</structname> object for
     the user mapping of the given role on the given server.  (If there is no
     mapping for the specific user, it will return the mapping for
     <literal>PUBLIC</>, or throw error if there is none.)  A
     <structname>UserMapping</structname> object contains properties of the
     user mapping (see <filename>foreign/foreign.h</filename> for details).
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignTable *
GetForeignTable(Oid relid);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>ForeignTable</structname> object for
     the foreign table with the given OID.  A
     <structname>ForeignTable</structname> object contains properties of the
     foreign table (see <filename>foreign/foreign.h</filename> for details).
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
List *
GetForeignColumnOptions(Oid relid, AttrNumber attnum);
</programlisting>

     This function returns the per-column FDW options for the column with the
     given foreign table OID and attribute number, in the form of a list of
     <structname>DefElem</structname>.  NIL is returned if the column has no
     options.
    </para>

    <para>
     Some object types have name-based lookup functions in addition to the
     OID-based ones:
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignDataWrapper *
GetForeignDataWrapperByName(const char *name, bool missing_ok);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>ForeignDataWrapper</structname>
     object for the foreign-data wrapper with the given name.  If the wrapper
     is not found, return NULL if missing_ok is true, otherwise raise an
     error.
    </para>

    <para>
<programlisting>
ForeignServer *
GetForeignServerByName(const char *name, bool missing_ok);
</programlisting>

     This function returns a <structname>ForeignServer</structname> object
     for the foreign server with the given name.  If the server is not found,
     return NULL if missing_ok is true, otherwise raise an error.
    </para>

   </sect1>

   <sect1 id="fdw-planning">
    <title>Foreign Data Wrapper Query Planning</title>

    <para>
     The FDW callback functions <function>GetForeignRelSize</>,
     <function>GetForeignPaths</>, <function>GetForeignPlan</>, and
     <function>PlanForeignModify</> must fit into the workings of the
     <productname>PostgreSQL</> planner.  Here are some notes about what
     they must do.
    </para>

    <para>
     The information in <literal>root</> and <literal>baserel</> can be used
     to reduce the amount of information that has to be fetched from the
     foreign table (and therefore reduce the cost).
     <literal>baserel-&gt;baserestrictinfo</> is particularly interesting, as
     it contains restriction quals (<literal>WHERE</> clauses) that should be
     used to filter the rows to be fetched.  (The FDW itself is not required
     to enforce these quals, as the core executor can check them instead.)
     <literal>baserel-&gt;reltargetlist</> can be used to determine which
     columns need to be fetched; but note that it only lists columns that
     have to be emitted by the <structname>ForeignScan</> plan node, not
     columns that are used in qual evaluation but not output by the query.
    </para>

    <para>
     Various private fields are available for the FDW planning functions to
     keep information in.  Generally, whatever you store in FDW private fields
     should be palloc'd, so that it will be reclaimed at the end of planning.
    </para>

    <para>
     <literal>baserel-&gt;fdw_private</> is a <type>void</> pointer that is
     available for FDW planning functions to store information relevant to
     the particular foreign table.  The core planner does not touch it except
     to initialize it to NULL when the <literal>baserel</> node is created.
     It is useful for passing information forward from
     <function>GetForeignRelSize</> to <function>GetForeignPaths</> and/or
     <function>GetForeignPaths</> to <function>GetForeignPlan</>, thereby
     avoiding recalculation.
    </para>

    <para>
     <function>GetForeignPaths</> can identify the meaning of different
     access paths by storing private information in the
     <structfield>fdw_private</> field of <structname>ForeignPath</> nodes.
     <structfield>fdw_private</> is declared as a <type>List</> pointer, but
     could actually contain anything since the core planner does not touch
     it.  However, best practice is to use a representation that's dumpable
     by <function>nodeToString</>, for use with debugging support available
     in the backend.
    </para>

    <para>
     <function>GetForeignPlan</> can examine the <structfield>fdw_private</>
     field of the selected <structname>ForeignPath</> node, and can generate
     <structfield>fdw_exprs</> and <structfield>fdw_private</> lists to be
     placed in the <structname>ForeignScan</> plan node, where they will be
     available at execution time.  Both of these lists must be
     represented in a form that <function>copyObject</> knows how to copy.
     The <structfield>fdw_private</> list has no other restrictions and is
     not interpreted by the core backend in any way.  The
     <structfield>fdw_exprs</> list, if not NIL, is expected to contain
     expression trees that are intended to be executed at run time.  These
     trees will undergo post-processing by the planner to make them fully
     executable.
    </para>

    <para>
     In <function>GetForeignPlan</>, generally the passed-in target list can
     be copied into the plan node as-is.  The passed <literal>scan_clauses</> list
     contains the same clauses as <literal>baserel-&gt;baserestrictinfo</>,
     but may be re-ordered for better execution efficiency.  In simple cases
     the FDW can just strip <structname>RestrictInfo</> nodes from the
     <literal>scan_clauses</> list (using <function>extract_actual_clauses</>) and put
     all the clauses into the plan node's qual list, which means that all the
     clauses will be checked by the executor at run time.  More complex FDWs
     may be able to check some of the clauses internally, in which case those
     clauses can be removed from the plan node's qual list so that the
     executor doesn't waste time rechecking them.
    </para>

    <para>
     As an example, the FDW might identify some restriction clauses of the
     form <replaceable>foreign_variable</> <literal>=</>
     <replaceable>sub_expression</>, which it determines can be executed on
     the remote server given the locally-evaluated value of the
     <replaceable>sub_expression</>.  The actual identification of such a
     clause should happen during <function>GetForeignPaths</>, since it would
     affect the cost estimate for the path.  The path's
     <structfield>fdw_private</> field would probably include a pointer to
     the identified clause's <structname>RestrictInfo</> node.  Then
     <function>GetForeignPlan</> would remove that clause from <literal>scan_clauses</>,
     but add the <replaceable>sub_expression</> to <structfield>fdw_exprs</>
     to ensure that it gets massaged into executable form.  It would probably
     also put control information into the plan node's
     <structfield>fdw_private</> field to tell the execution functions what
     to do at run time.  The query transmitted to the remote server would
     involve something like <literal>WHERE <replaceable>foreign_variable</> =
     $1</literal>, with the parameter value obtained at run time from
     evaluation of the <structfield>fdw_exprs</> expression tree.
    </para>

    <para>
     The FDW should always construct at least one path that depends only on
     the table's restriction clauses.  In join queries, it might also choose
     to construct path(s) that depend on join clauses, for example
     <replaceable>foreign_variable</> <literal>=</>
     <replaceable>local_variable</>.  Such clauses will not be found in
     <literal>baserel-&gt;baserestrictinfo</> but must be sought in the
     relation's join lists.  A path using such a clause is called a
     <quote>parameterized path</>.  It must identify the other relations
     used in the selected join clause(s) with a suitable value of
     <literal>param_info</>; use <function>get_baserel_parampathinfo</>
     to compute that value.  In <function>GetForeignPlan</>, the
     <replaceable>local_variable</> portion of the join clause would be added
     to <structfield>fdw_exprs</>, and then at run time the case works the
     same as for an ordinary restriction clause.
    </para>

    <para>
     When planning an <command>UPDATE</> or <command>DELETE</>,
     <function>PlanForeignModify</> can look up the <structname>RelOptInfo</>
     struct for the foreign table and make use of the
     <literal>baserel-&gt;fdw_private</> data previously created by the
     scan-planning functions.  However, in <command>INSERT</> the target
     table is not scanned so there is no <structname>RelOptInfo</> for it.
     The <structname>List</> returned by <function>PlanForeignModify</> has
     the same restrictions as the <structfield>fdw_private</> list of a
     <structname>ForeignScan</> plan node, that is it must contain only
     structures that <function>copyObject</> knows how to copy.
    </para>

    <para>
     For an <command>UPDATE</> or <command>DELETE</> against an external data
     source that supports concurrent updates, it is recommended that the
     <literal>ForeignScan</> operation lock the rows that it fetches, perhaps
     via the equivalent of <command>SELECT FOR UPDATE</>.  The FDW may also
     choose to lock rows at fetch time when the foreign table is referenced
     in a <command>SELECT FOR UPDATE/SHARE</>; if it does not, the
     <literal>FOR UPDATE</> or <literal>FOR SHARE</> option is essentially a
     no-op so far as the foreign table is concerned.  This behavior may yield
     semantics slightly different from operations on local tables, where row
     locking is customarily delayed as long as possible: remote rows may get
     locked even though they subsequently fail locally-applied restriction or
     join conditions.  However, matching the local semantics exactly would
     require an additional remote access for every row, and might be
     impossible anyway depending on what locking semantics the external data
     source provides.
    </para>

  </sect1>

 </chapter>
