perf: Optimize array_position for scalar needle (#20532)

## Which issue does this PR close?

- Closes #20530 

## Rationale for this change

The previous implementation of `array_position` used
`compare_element_to_list` for every input row. When the needle is a
scalar (quite common), we can do much better by searching over the
entire flat haystack values array with a single call to
`arrow_ord::cmp::not_distinct`. We can then iterate over the resulting
set bits to determine per-row results.

This is ~5-10x faster than the previous implementation for typical
inputs.

## What changes are included in this PR?

* Implement new fast path for `array_position` with scalar needle
* Improve docs for `array_position`
* Don't use `internal_err` to report a user-visible error

## Are these changes tested?

Yes, and benchmarked. Additional tests added in a separate PR (#20531)

## Are there any user-facing changes?

No.
This commit is contained in:
Neil Conway
2026-02-26 13:40:55 -05:00
committed by GitHub
parent a026e7da2f
commit d6fb3608b0
5 changed files with 497 additions and 16 deletions
+4
View File
@@ -97,3 +97,7 @@ name = "array_repeat"
[[bench]]
harness = false
name = "array_set_ops"
[[bench]]
harness = false
name = "array_position"
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
// or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file
// distributed with this work for additional information
// regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file
// to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
// "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
// with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
// KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the
// specific language governing permissions and limitations
// under the License.
use arrow::array::{ArrayRef, Int64Array, ListArray};
use arrow::buffer::OffsetBuffer;
use arrow::datatypes::{DataType, Field};
use criterion::{
criterion_group, criterion_main, {BenchmarkId, Criterion},
};
use datafusion_common::ScalarValue;
use datafusion_common::config::ConfigOptions;
use datafusion_expr::{ColumnarValue, ScalarFunctionArgs, ScalarUDFImpl};
use datafusion_functions_nested::position::ArrayPosition;
use rand::Rng;
use rand::SeedableRng;
use rand::rngs::StdRng;
use std::hint::black_box;
use std::sync::Arc;
const NUM_ROWS: usize = 10000;
const SEED: u64 = 42;
const NULL_DENSITY: f64 = 0.1;
const SENTINEL_NEEDLE: i64 = -1;
fn criterion_benchmark(c: &mut Criterion) {
for size in [10, 100, 500] {
bench_array_position(c, size);
}
}
fn bench_array_position(c: &mut Criterion, array_size: usize) {
let mut group = c.benchmark_group("array_position_i64");
let haystack_found_once = create_haystack_with_sentinel(
NUM_ROWS,
array_size,
NULL_DENSITY,
SENTINEL_NEEDLE,
0,
);
let haystack_found_many = create_haystack_with_sentinels(
NUM_ROWS,
array_size,
NULL_DENSITY,
SENTINEL_NEEDLE,
);
let haystack_not_found =
create_haystack_without_sentinel(NUM_ROWS, array_size, NULL_DENSITY);
let num_rows = haystack_not_found.len();
let arg_fields: Vec<Arc<Field>> = vec![
Field::new("haystack", haystack_not_found.data_type().clone(), false).into(),
Field::new("needle", DataType::Int64, false).into(),
];
let return_field: Arc<Field> = Field::new("result", DataType::UInt64, true).into();
let config_options = Arc::new(ConfigOptions::default());
let needle = ScalarValue::Int64(Some(SENTINEL_NEEDLE));
// Benchmark: one match per row.
let args_found_once = vec![
ColumnarValue::Array(haystack_found_once.clone()),
ColumnarValue::Scalar(needle.clone()),
];
group.bench_with_input(
BenchmarkId::new("found_once", array_size),
&array_size,
|b, _| {
let udf = ArrayPosition::new();
b.iter(|| {
black_box(
udf.invoke_with_args(ScalarFunctionArgs {
args: args_found_once.clone(),
arg_fields: arg_fields.clone(),
number_rows: num_rows,
return_field: return_field.clone(),
config_options: config_options.clone(),
})
.unwrap(),
)
})
},
);
// Benchmark: many matches per row.
let args_found_many = vec![
ColumnarValue::Array(haystack_found_many.clone()),
ColumnarValue::Scalar(needle.clone()),
];
group.bench_with_input(
BenchmarkId::new("found_many", array_size),
&array_size,
|b, _| {
let udf = ArrayPosition::new();
b.iter(|| {
black_box(
udf.invoke_with_args(ScalarFunctionArgs {
args: args_found_many.clone(),
arg_fields: arg_fields.clone(),
number_rows: num_rows,
return_field: return_field.clone(),
config_options: config_options.clone(),
})
.unwrap(),
)
})
},
);
// Benchmark: needle is not found in any row.
let args_not_found = vec![
ColumnarValue::Array(haystack_not_found.clone()),
ColumnarValue::Scalar(needle.clone()),
];
group.bench_with_input(
BenchmarkId::new("not_found", array_size),
&array_size,
|b, _| {
let udf = ArrayPosition::new();
b.iter(|| {
black_box(
udf.invoke_with_args(ScalarFunctionArgs {
args: args_not_found.clone(),
arg_fields: arg_fields.clone(),
number_rows: num_rows,
return_field: return_field.clone(),
config_options: config_options.clone(),
})
.unwrap(),
)
})
},
);
group.finish();
}
fn create_haystack_without_sentinel(
num_rows: usize,
array_size: usize,
null_density: f64,
) -> ArrayRef {
create_haystack_from_fn(num_rows, array_size, |_, _, rng| {
random_haystack_value(rng, array_size, null_density)
})
}
fn create_haystack_with_sentinel(
num_rows: usize,
array_size: usize,
null_density: f64,
sentinel: i64,
sentinel_index: usize,
) -> ArrayRef {
assert!(sentinel_index < array_size);
create_haystack_from_fn(num_rows, array_size, |_, col, rng| {
if col == sentinel_index {
Some(sentinel)
} else {
random_haystack_value(rng, array_size, null_density)
}
})
}
fn create_haystack_with_sentinels(
num_rows: usize,
array_size: usize,
null_density: f64,
sentinel: i64,
) -> ArrayRef {
create_haystack_from_fn(num_rows, array_size, |_, col, rng| {
// Place the sentinel in half the positions to create many matches per row.
if col % 2 == 0 {
Some(sentinel)
} else {
random_haystack_value(rng, array_size, null_density)
}
})
}
fn create_haystack_from_fn<F>(
num_rows: usize,
array_size: usize,
mut value_at: F,
) -> ArrayRef
where
F: FnMut(usize, usize, &mut StdRng) -> Option<i64>,
{
let mut rng = StdRng::seed_from_u64(SEED);
let mut values = Vec::with_capacity(num_rows * array_size);
for row in 0..num_rows {
for col in 0..array_size {
values.push(value_at(row, col, &mut rng));
}
}
let values = values.into_iter().collect::<Int64Array>();
let offsets = (0..=num_rows)
.map(|i| (i * array_size) as i32)
.collect::<Vec<i32>>();
Arc::new(
ListArray::try_new(
Arc::new(Field::new("item", DataType::Int64, true)),
OffsetBuffer::new(offsets.into()),
Arc::new(values),
None,
)
.unwrap(),
)
}
fn random_haystack_value(
rng: &mut StdRng,
array_size: usize,
null_density: f64,
) -> Option<i64> {
if rng.random::<f64>() < null_density {
None
} else {
Some(rng.random_range(0..array_size as i64))
}
}
criterion_group!(benches, criterion_benchmark);
criterion_main!(benches);
+149 -14
View File
@@ -17,11 +17,13 @@
//! [`ScalarUDFImpl`] definitions for array_position and array_positions functions.
use arrow::array::Scalar;
use arrow::datatypes::DataType;
use arrow::datatypes::{
DataType::{LargeList, List, UInt64},
Field,
};
use datafusion_common::ScalarValue;
use datafusion_expr::{
ColumnarValue, Documentation, ScalarUDFImpl, Signature, Volatility,
};
@@ -37,9 +39,7 @@ use arrow::array::{
use datafusion_common::cast::{
as_generic_list_array, as_int64_array, as_large_list_array, as_list_array,
};
use datafusion_common::{
Result, assert_or_internal_err, exec_err, utils::take_function_args,
};
use datafusion_common::{Result, exec_err, utils::take_function_args};
use itertools::Itertools;
use crate::utils::{compare_element_to_list, make_scalar_function};
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ make_udf_expr_and_func!(
#[user_doc(
doc_section(label = "Array Functions"),
description = "Returns the position of the first occurrence of the specified element in the array, or NULL if not found.",
description = "Returns the position of the first occurrence of the specified element in the array, or NULL if not found. Comparisons are done using `IS DISTINCT FROM` semantics, so NULL is considered to match NULL.",
syntax_example = "array_position(array, element)\narray_position(array, element, index)",
sql_example = r#"```sql
> select array_position([1, 2, 2, 3, 1, 4], 2);
@@ -74,10 +74,7 @@ make_udf_expr_and_func!(
name = "array",
description = "Array expression. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of array operators."
),
argument(
name = "element",
description = "Element to search for position in the array."
),
argument(name = "element", description = "Element to search for in the array."),
argument(
name = "index",
description = "Index at which to start searching (1-indexed)."
@@ -129,7 +126,54 @@ impl ScalarUDFImpl for ArrayPosition {
&self,
args: datafusion_expr::ScalarFunctionArgs,
) -> Result<ColumnarValue> {
make_scalar_function(array_position_inner)(&args.args)
let [first_arg, second_arg, third_arg @ ..] = args.args.as_slice() else {
return exec_err!("array_position expects two or three arguments");
};
match second_arg {
ColumnarValue::Scalar(scalar_element) => {
// Nested element types (List, Struct) can't use the fast path
// (because Arrow's `non_distinct` does not support them).
if scalar_element.data_type().is_nested() {
return make_scalar_function(array_position_inner)(&args.args);
}
// Determine batch length from whichever argument is columnar;
// if all inputs are scalar, batch length is 1.
let (num_rows, all_inputs_scalar) = match (first_arg, third_arg.first()) {
(ColumnarValue::Array(a), _) => (a.len(), false),
(_, Some(ColumnarValue::Array(a))) => (a.len(), false),
_ => (1, true),
};
let element_arr = scalar_element.to_array_of_size(1)?;
let haystack = first_arg.to_array(num_rows)?;
let arr_from = resolve_start_from(third_arg.first(), num_rows)?;
let result = match haystack.data_type() {
List(_) => {
let list = as_generic_list_array::<i32>(&haystack)?;
array_position_scalar::<i32>(list, &element_arr, &arr_from)
}
LargeList(_) => {
let list = as_generic_list_array::<i64>(&haystack)?;
array_position_scalar::<i64>(list, &element_arr, &arr_from)
}
t => exec_err!("array_position does not support type '{t}'."),
}?;
if all_inputs_scalar {
Ok(ColumnarValue::Scalar(ScalarValue::try_from_array(
&result, 0,
)?))
} else {
Ok(ColumnarValue::Array(result))
}
}
ColumnarValue::Array(_) => {
make_scalar_function(array_position_inner)(&args.args)
}
}
}
fn aliases(&self) -> &[String] {
@@ -152,6 +196,99 @@ fn array_position_inner(args: &[ArrayRef]) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
}
}
/// Resolves the optional `start_from` argument into a `Vec<i64>` of
/// 0-indexed starting positions.
fn resolve_start_from(
third_arg: Option<&ColumnarValue>,
num_rows: usize,
) -> Result<Vec<i64>> {
match third_arg {
None => Ok(vec![0i64; num_rows]),
Some(ColumnarValue::Scalar(ScalarValue::Int64(Some(v)))) => {
Ok(vec![v - 1; num_rows])
}
Some(ColumnarValue::Scalar(s)) => {
exec_err!("array_position expected Int64 for start_from, got {s}")
}
Some(ColumnarValue::Array(a)) => {
Ok(as_int64_array(a)?.values().iter().map(|&x| x - 1).collect())
}
}
}
/// Fast path for `array_position` when the element is a scalar.
///
/// Performs a single bulk `not_distinct` comparison of the scalar element
/// against the entire flattened values buffer, then walks the result bitmap
/// using offsets to find per-row first-match positions.
fn array_position_scalar<O: OffsetSizeTrait>(
list_array: &GenericListArray<O>,
element_array: &ArrayRef,
arr_from: &[i64], // 0-indexed
) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
crate::utils::check_datatypes(
"array_position",
&[list_array.values(), element_array],
)?;
let element_datum = Scalar::new(Arc::clone(element_array));
let offsets = list_array.offsets();
let validity = list_array.nulls();
if list_array.len() == 0 {
return Ok(Arc::new(UInt64Array::new_null(0)));
}
// `not_distinct` treats NULL=NULL as true, matching the semantics of
// `array_position`
let eq_array = arrow_ord::cmp::not_distinct(list_array.values(), &element_datum)?;
let eq_bits = eq_array.values();
let mut result: Vec<Option<u64>> = Vec::with_capacity(list_array.len());
let mut matches = eq_bits.set_indices().peekable();
for i in 0..list_array.len() {
let start = offsets[i].as_usize();
let end = offsets[i + 1].as_usize();
if validity.is_some_and(|v| v.is_null(i)) {
// Null row -> null output; advance past matches in range
while matches.peek().is_some_and(|&p| p < end) {
matches.next();
}
result.push(None);
continue;
}
let from = arr_from[i];
let row_len = end - start;
if !(from >= 0 && (from as usize) <= row_len) {
return exec_err!("start_from out of bounds: {}", from + 1);
}
let search_start = start + from as usize;
// Advance past matches before search_start
while matches.peek().is_some_and(|&p| p < search_start) {
matches.next();
}
// First match in [search_start, end)?
if matches.peek().is_some_and(|&p| p < end) {
let pos = *matches.peek().unwrap();
result.push(Some((pos - start + 1) as u64));
// Advance past remaining matches in this row
while matches.peek().is_some_and(|&p| p < end) {
matches.next();
}
} else {
result.push(None);
}
}
debug_assert_eq!(result.len(), list_array.len());
Ok(Arc::new(UInt64Array::from(result)))
}
fn general_position_dispatch<O: OffsetSizeTrait>(args: &[ArrayRef]) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
let list_array = as_generic_list_array::<O>(&args[0])?;
let element_array = &args[1];
@@ -171,13 +308,11 @@ fn general_position_dispatch<O: OffsetSizeTrait>(args: &[ArrayRef]) -> Result<Ar
vec![0; list_array.len()]
};
// if `start_from` index is out of bounds, return error
for (arr, &from) in list_array.iter().zip(arr_from.iter()) {
// If `arr` is `None`: we will get null if we got null in the array, so we don't need to check
assert_or_internal_err!(
arr.is_none_or(|arr| from >= 0 && (from as usize) <= arr.len()),
"start_from index out of bounds"
);
if !arr.is_none_or(|arr| from >= 0 && (from as usize) <= arr.len()) {
return exec_err!("start_from out of bounds: {}", from + 1);
}
}
generic_position::<O>(list_array, element_array, &arr_from)
@@ -3880,6 +3880,111 @@ select array_position(arrow_cast(make_array([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [11, 12, 13]),
NULL 6 4
NULL 1 NULL
# array_position with NULL element in haystack array (NULL = NULL semantics)
query III
select array_position([1, NULL, 3], arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64')), array_position([NULL, 2, 3], arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64')), array_position([1, 2, NULL], arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64'));
----
2 1 3
query I
select array_position(arrow_cast([1, NULL, 3], 'LargeList(Int64)'), arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64'));
----
2
# array_position with NULL element in array and start_from
query II
select array_position([NULL, 1, NULL, 2], arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64'), 2), array_position([NULL, 1, NULL, 2], arrow_cast(NULL, 'Int64'), 1);
----
3 1
# array_position with column array and scalar element
query IIII
select array_position(column1, 3), array_position(column1, 10), array_position(column1, 20), array_position(column1, 999) from arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3 10 NULL NULL
NULL NULL 10 NULL
NULL NULL NULL NULL
NULL NULL NULL NULL
query II
select array_position(column1, 3), array_position(column1, 20) from large_arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3 NULL
NULL 10
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
query II
select array_position(column1, 3), array_position(column1, 20) from fixed_size_arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3 NULL
NULL 10
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
# array_position with column array, scalar element, and scalar start_from
query II
select array_position(column1, 3, 1), array_position(column1, 3, 4) from arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3 NULL
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
query II
select array_position(column1, 3, 1), array_position(column1, 3, 4) from large_arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3 NULL
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
NULL NULL
# array_position with column array, scalar element, and column start_from
query I
select array_position(column1, 3, column3) from arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
3
NULL
NULL
NULL
# array_position with scalar haystack, scalar element, and column start_from
query I
select array_position([1, 2, 1, 2], 2, column3) from arrays_values_without_nulls;
----
2
2
4
4
# array_position start_from boundary cases
query IIII
select array_position([1, 2, 3], 3, 3), array_position([1, 2, 3], 1, 2), array_position([1, 2, 3], 1, 1), array_position([1, 2, 3], 3, 4);
----
3 NULL 1 NULL
query II
select array_position([1, 2, 3], 3, 4), array_position([1], 1, 2);
----
NULL NULL
# array_position with empty array in various contexts
query II
select array_position(arrow_cast(make_array(), 'List(Int64)'), 1), array_position(arrow_cast(make_array(), 'LargeList(Int64)'), 1);
----
NULL NULL
# FixedSizeList with start_from
query II
select array_position(arrow_cast([1, 2, 3, 1, 2], 'FixedSizeList(5, Int64)'), 1, 2), array_position(arrow_cast([1, 2, 3, 1, 2], 'FixedSizeList(5, Int64)'), 2, 4);
----
4 5
query I
select array_position(arrow_cast(['a', 'b', 'c', 'b'], 'FixedSizeList(4, Utf8)'), 'b', 3);
----
4
## array_positions (aliases: `list_positions`)
query ?
@@ -3776,7 +3776,7 @@ array_pop_front(array)
### `array_position`
Returns the position of the first occurrence of the specified element in the array, or NULL if not found.
Returns the position of the first occurrence of the specified element in the array, or NULL if not found. Comparisons are done using `IS DISTINCT FROM` semantics, so NULL is considered to match NULL.
```sql
array_position(array, element)
@@ -3786,7 +3786,7 @@ array_position(array, element, index)
#### Arguments
- **array**: Array expression. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of array operators.
- **element**: Element to search for position in the array.
- **element**: Element to search for in the array.
- **index**: Index at which to start searching (1-indexed).
#### Example