WHERE $1::timestamptz IS NULL OR "timestamp" > $1

SQL is quite flexible, making it easy to write a single query that works for two situations: one without a parameter and a WHERE clause, and another with a parameter for filtering, all in the same SQL query. For example, I came across a benchmark comparing MongoDB and PostgreSQL that shows how to handle pagination effectively—by avoiding OFFSET and instead using the last value to fetch the next set of results. The first page includes a WHERE clause along with ORDER BY and LIMIT, while the following pages add an extra WHERE condition. In the MongoDB version of this benchmark, the filter is handled within the application, which leads to two separate queries for these scenarios. export async function getOrders ( cursor ) { const match = cursor ? { timestamp : { $gt : new Date ( cursor ) } } : {}; const rows = await orders . aggregate ([ { $match : match }, { $sort : { timestamp : 1 } }, { $limit : PAGE_SIZE }, ]) We can do the same in PostgreSQL using a single prepared statement. SQL is such a powerful language that it often feels tempting to write it this way: SELECT * FROM orders WHERE $ 1 :: timestamptz IS NULL OR "timestamp" > $ 1 ORDER BY "timestamp" ASC LIMIT $ { PAGE_SIZE } If $1 is NULL, it skips the second condition in the OR clause and retrieves all rows without filters, resulting in a broad fetch. When $1 has a value, it filters the results using that specific value, enabling a more targeted search. However, using a generic query can sometimes lead to a less-than-ideal execution plan that's not perfectly tailored for each specific situation. I gave it a try: drop table if exists orders ; create table orders ( order_id text primary key , "timestamp" timestamptz not null ); create index idx_orders_timestamp on orders ( "timestamp" ); insert into orders select 'ORD-' || g , '2025-01-01' :: timestamptz + g * interval '1 minute' from generate_series ( 1 , 5000000 ) as g ; analyze orders ; prepare getorders ( timestamptz , int ) as select * from orders where $ 1 :