ADOPT: Adaptively Optimizing Attribute Orders for Worst-Case Optimal Join Algorithms via Reinforcement Learning

The performance of worst-case optimal join algorithms depends on the order in which the join attributes are processed. Selecting good orders before query execution is hard, due to the large space of possible orders and unreliable execution cost estimates in case of data skew or data correlation. We propose ADOPT, a query engine that combines adaptive query processing with a worst-case optimal join algorithm, which uses an order on the join attributes instead of a join order on relations. ADOPT divides query execution into episodes in which different attribute orders are tried. Based on run time feedback on attribute order performance, ADOPT converges quickly to near-optimal orders. It avoids redundant work across different orders via a novel data structure, keeping track of parts of the join input that have been successfully processed. It selects attribute orders to try via reinforcement learning, balancing the need for exploring new orders with the desire to exploit promising orders. In experiments with various data sets and queries, it outperforms baselines, including commercial and open-source systems using worst-case optimal join algorithms, whenever queries become complex and therefore difficult to optimize.