The "random" regression test uses a function called oidrand(), which

takes two parameters, an OID x and an integer y, and returns "true" with
probability 1/y (the OID argument is ignored). This can be useful -- for
example, it can be used to select a random sampling of the rows in a
table (which is what the "random" regression test uses it for).

This patch removes that function, because it was old and messy. The old
function had the following problems:

- it was undocumented

- it was poorly named

- it was designed to workaround an optimizer bug that no longer exists
(the OID argument is to ensure that the optimizer won't optimize away
calls to the function; AFAIK marking the function as 'volatile' suffices
nowadays)

- it used a different random-number generation technique than the other
PSRNG-related functions in the backend do (it called random() like they
do, but it had its own logic for setting a set and deciding when to
reseed the RNG).

Ok, this patch removes oidrand(), oidsrand(), and userfntest(), and
improves the SGML docs a little bit (un-commenting the setseed()
documentation).

Neil Conway

src/test/regress/expected/random.out

@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ SELECT count(*) FROM onek;
 --  have a regression test which can pass/fail
 -- - thomas 1998-08-17
 SELECT count(*) AS random INTO RANDOM_TBL
-  FROM onek WHERE oidrand(onek.oid, 10);
+  FROM onek WHERE random() < 1.0/10;
 -- select again, the count should be different
 INSERT INTO RANDOM_TBL (random)
   SELECT count(*)
-  FROM onek WHERE oidrand(onek.oid, 10);
+  FROM onek WHERE random() < 1.0/10;
 -- now test the results for randomness in the correct range
 SELECT random, count(random) FROM RANDOM_TBL
   GROUP BY random HAVING count(random) > 1;

src/test/regress/sql/random.sql

@@ -12,12 +12,12 @@ SELECT count(*) FROM onek;
 --  have a regression test which can pass/fail
 -- - thomas 1998-08-17
 SELECT count(*) AS random INTO RANDOM_TBL
-  FROM onek WHERE oidrand(onek.oid, 10);
+  FROM onek WHERE random() < 1.0/10;
 
 -- select again, the count should be different
 INSERT INTO RANDOM_TBL (random)
   SELECT count(*)
-  FROM onek WHERE oidrand(onek.oid, 10);
+  FROM onek WHERE random() < 1.0/10;
 
 -- now test the results for randomness in the correct range
 SELECT random, count(random) FROM RANDOM_TBL