LIO: A lightweight and interpretable query optimizer based on an evolutionary forest

Learning-based query optimizers have shown significant advantages in generating high-quality query plans. In these optimizers, query plans are represented at different level of granularity, and learning-based models are used to learn the relationship between query plans and execution times based on the past experience. Thus, efficient query plans can be generated for given queries. However, these optimizers often struggle to achieve a balance between model efficiency and prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a lightweight and interpretable query optimizer LIO based on an evolutionary forest. LIO employs a genetic programming algorithm to automatically explore optimal feature combinations for a random forest, balancing model usage costs, prediction accuracy, and interpretability. The outputs of the evolutionary forest serve as interpretability aids, guiding users in dynamically adding enhanced hint sets, which in turn improves optimization performance. Additionally, two pruning strategies are developed to reduce both the number and depth of the trees in the forest, significantly enhancing rule interpretability while maintaining an acceptable level of performance loss. Extensive experiments validate that LIO outperforms state-of-the-art optimizers in terms of prediction accuracy, total runtime, and interpretability.