Add `auto_explain` mode
- Dominant language
- Rust
- Stars
- 9.3k
- Forks
- 2.4k
- Avg merge
- 3d 7h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 344
Description
### Is your feature request related to a problem or challenge?
It would be useful to collect plans from queries automatically, without needing to explicitly add `EXPLAIN ANALYZE`. This would ensure that the original application would not need to change, as the queries would still return data as normal, while the plans would be printed to `stdout`/`stderr`.
Some existing systems already support this feature, like [`auto_explain`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/18/auto-explain.html) in Postgres and [`eqp`](https://www.sqlite.org/eqp.html) in SQLite.
### Describe the solution you'd like
Some `datafusion.execution.auto_explain` config that would enable this feature.
I already created a small proof of concept and this feature would be relatively easy to implement. We just need to wrap execution plans in an `AnalyzeExec`. This `AnalyzeExec` would also need a flag to know when it's in the `auto_explain` mode, in which case it would print the plans and return the input batches.
I would be happy to create a PR with this.
### Describe alternatives you've considered
Adding `EXPLAIN ANALYZE` manually, but this changes the application.
### Additional context
_No response_
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start by reviewing AnalyzeExec and the execution-plan path, then locate where datafusion.execution configuration is defined. Done means an auto_explain setting collects and prints plans while returning query data normally, without requiring application queries to change.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust, sql
- Domain
- data-engineering
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100