doc: Add more details about pg_stat_get_xact_blocks_{fetched,hit}

The explanation describing the dependency to system read() calls for
these two functions has been removed in ddfc2d9.  And after more
discussion about d69c404, we have concluded that adding more details
makes them easier to understand.

While on it, use the term "block read requests" (maybe found in cache)
rather than "buffers fetched" and "buffer hits".

Per discussion with Melanie Plageman, Kyotaro Horiguchi, Bertrand
Drouvot and myself.

Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/CAAKRu_ZmdiScT4q83OAbfmR5AH-L5zWya3SXjaxiJvhCob-e2A@mail.gmail.com
Backpatch-through: 11

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/monitoring.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/monitoring.sgml
index 67aced7e5fd862807fb59f427e3f66510ab36ec3..414be8a47e395e7ecaaeb3196eebb6528311a1d7 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/src/sgml/monitoring.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/monitoring.sgml
@@ -5047,8 +5047,11 @@ SELECT pid, wait_event_type, wait_event FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE wait_event i
         bigint
        
        
-        Returns the number of buffers fetched for table or index, in the current
-        transaction.
+        Returns the number of block read requests for table or index, in the
+        current transaction. This number minus
+        pg_stat_get_xact_blocks_hit gives the number of
+        kernel read() calls; the number of actual
+        physical reads is usually lower due to kernel-level buffering.
        
       
 
@@ -5061,8 +5064,9 @@ SELECT pid, wait_event_type, wait_event FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE wait_event i
         bigint
        
        
-        Returns the number of buffer hits for table or index, in the current
-        transaction.
+        Returns the number of block read requests for table or index, in the
+        current transaction, found in cache (not triggering kernel
+        read() calls).