RECORDING LINEAGE IN QUERY OPTIMIZATION

A database system includes a query optimizer which applies transformations to a logical representation of an input query in a declarative query language to generate expressions for a query execution plan. The query optimizer stores information, for each rule application, indicating a transformation applied and bindings for the transformation, the bindings indicating expressions input to the transformation. When a new query execution plan is to be generated for the input query, the query optimizer uses this stored information, for expressions in an original query execution plan, to guide the query optimizer to produce a current query execution plan while avoiding transformations not used to generate expressions in the original query execution plan.