python-v0.25.0: Improved memory writer, schema evolution `merge` and UC support

Highlights

• Streamed execution in write and merged (lower memory pressure)
• Overall improved memory allocation
• Schema evolution in MERGE
• Unity catalog support through uc:// uri-prefix

Performance improvements

• feat: streamed execution in MERGE by @ion-elgreco in #3145
• feat: streamed execution, writer refactor, simplified generated columns and schema evolution by @ion-elgreco in #3229
• refactor: logical plans in writer by @ion-elgreco in #3141
• chore(python): choose performance over compile time in release mode by @ion-elgreco in #3177
• chore(python): use custom global alloc by @ion-elgreco in #3176

New features

• feat: add schema evolution to merge statement by @JustinRush80 in #3136
• feat(python): add capability to read unity catalog (uc://) uris by @omkar-foss in #3113
• feat: support reading tables via Unity Catalog provided credentials by @hntd187 in #3078
• feat: added workspace oauth source for UC by @hntd187 in #3152
• feat: update metadata field builder by @Nordalf in #3149
• feat: set column metadata from python by @umartin in #3189
• feat(disable conflict checker): start counting concurrent retries at 0 and disable conflict checker with maxRetries=0 by @daphnenhuch-at in #3204
• feat: make Add:get_stats public by @jkylling in #3216
• feat: configurable column encoding for parquet checkpoint files by @dmunch in #3214
• feat: return metrics about the commit by @HawaiianSpork in #3202
• feat: cdf tableprovider with predicate pushdown support by @ion-elgreco in #3220

Bug Fixes

• fix: properly encode metadata field values when creating actions by @rtyler in #3183
• fix: only use stats for required cols by @ion-elgreco in #3210
• fix: load cdf latest version by @ion-elgreco in #3218
• fix: adhere write stats configuration by @ion-elgreco in #3209
• fix(rust, python): treat FSCK files_removed as strings by @liamphmurphy in #3219
• fix: update snapshot after conflict check by @ion-elgreco in #3205

Other Changes

• chore: preparing the 0.24 release of the Rust crates` by @rtyler in #3132
• chore: fix typos by @roeap in #3138
• refactor: combine normal and cdf plan until write for merge by @ion-elgreco in #3142
• chore: remove lazy_static and once_cell dependencies by @nyurik in #3148
• docs: Fix broken markdown syntax by @hattajr in #3134
• chore: minor changes to allow 0.24.0 to be published by @rtyler in #3158
• chore: prevent the pr actions from filing on merge_group by @rtyler in #3161
• docs: fix broken links by @ion-elgreco in #3179
• chore: update to DataFusion 45.0.0 / arrow/parquet 54.0.0 by @alamb in #3175
• chore: adopt the released datafusion 45 release by @rtyler in #3195
• fix: removing openssl from the dependency tree by @rtyler in #3160
• chore: remove the unnecessary hashbrown dependency by @rtyler in #3198
• chore: switch to cache@v4 by @rtyler in #3230
• fix(typo): s/implemtnation/implementation/ by @akesling in #3227
• chore: bump python 0.25 by @ion-elgreco in #3233
• chore(python): set streaming opt-in by @ion-elgreco in #3178

New Contributors

• @nyurik made their first contribution in #3148
• @hattajr made their first contribution in #3134
• @JustinRush80 made their first contribution in #3136
• @umartin made their first contribution in #3189
• @daphnenhuch-at made their first contribution in #3204
• @dmunch made their first contribution in #3214
• @akesling made their first contribution in #3227

Full Changelog: python-v0.24.0...python-v0.25.0