[Solved] What is the primary purpose of tuning work_mem in PostgreSQL? — Ans: To control the amount of memory used for internal sort operations and hash... | PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL - Performance Tuning

What is the primary purpose of tuning work_mem in PostgreSQL?

ATo set the maximum size of the shared buffer cache

BTo control the amount of memory used for internal sort operations and hash tables before writing to disk

CTo limit the total memory used by all connections combined

DTo define the maximum size of the WAL (Write-Ahead Log) files

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Understand work_mem role
work_mem controls memory for sorts and hash operations per query before spilling to disk.
Step 2: Differentiate from other memory settings
It does not control shared buffers or WAL size, which are separate settings.
Final Answer:
To control the amount of memory used for internal sort operations and hash tables before writing to disk -> Option B
Quick Check:
work_mem = memory per sort/hash [OK]

Quick Trick: work_mem is per operation memory, not total server memory [OK]

Common Mistakes:

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What is the primary purpose of tuning work_mem in PostgreSQL?