EnterpriseDB PostgreSQL-Essentials Exam - Topic 9 Question 4 Discussion

Actual exam question for EnterpriseDB's PostgreSQL-Essentials exam

Question #: 4
Topic #: 9

Which PostgreSQL configuration parameter controls the amount of memory used for sorting operations before writing to temporary disk files?

Ashared_buffers

Bwork_mem

Cmaintenance_work_mem

Dtemp_buffers

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: B

by Bettina at Nov 22, 2025, 05:24 AM

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Vivan

2 months ago

I hope they don't ask tricky questions like this!

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Curtis

2 months ago

Exactly! If it's too low, it spills to disk.

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Micaela

2 months ago

A lot of sorting happens in memory, right?

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Chan

2 months ago

Yeah, I agree. It controls sort memory.

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Caitlin

2 months ago

I think it's B) work_mem.

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Rhea

2 months ago

Yeah, B) work_mem makes the most sense.

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Elvera

3 months ago

Wait, are you all sure about that?

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Hollis

3 months ago

I bet the correct answer is "All of the above, and then some." PostgreSQL loves its obscure settings!

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Irene

3 months ago

Hmm, I'm torn between B and C. Gotta love those PostgreSQL configuration parameters!

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Lisbeth

4 months ago

I'd go with C) maintenance_work_mem. Sounds like it could be related to sorting.

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Gertude

4 months ago

Definitely B. I've seen this one before in the PostgreSQL docs.

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Owen

4 months ago

B) work_mem is the correct answer.

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Ronnie

4 months ago

I feel like maintenance_work_mem is more for maintenance tasks, so it must be work_mem that controls sorting memory.

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Onita

4 months ago

I’m a bit confused; I thought temp_buffers had something to do with temporary files too, but I guess that’s not right for sorting?

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Page

4 months ago

I remember practicing a question about memory settings, and work_mem definitely came up as a key parameter for sorting operations.

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Yuonne

5 months ago

I think the parameter we're looking for is work_mem, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s the only one that affects sorting.

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Francis

5 months ago

B) work_mem, for sure. That's the parameter you want to look at to control the memory used for sorting operations in PostgreSQL.

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Willodean

5 months ago

I'm a little confused on this one. Is it B) work_mem or C) maintenance_work_mem? I know one of those controls memory for sorting, but I can't remember which one for sure.

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Veronika

5 months ago

Okay, I'm pretty confident the answer is B) work_mem. That's the parameter that sets the amount of memory to use for in-memory sorting before falling back to temporary disk files.

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Maybelle

5 months ago

I thought it was A) shared_buffers!

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Portia

5 months ago

It's B) work_mem for sure.

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Deonna

6 months ago

I was unsure at first, but B makes sense.

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Altha

6 months ago

Definitely B) work_mem, that's the one.

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Lourdes

6 months ago

Hmm, I'm not totally sure about this one. I know it has something to do with memory usage for sorting, but I can't remember which specific parameter controls that. I'll have to think it through.

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