It’s the start of a new year! The opportunity for a clean slate and a fresh start. The new year is also a time for setting goals or resolutions for the best year ahead. Here at EDB, we want to help set you up for a successful 2024, so you can boost your Postgres experience and get more out of your favorite database. After all, welcoming the New Year gives us all an opportunity for database enhancement and optimization. In this article, we’re sharing some ideas about how you can stay up-to-date with the latest Postgres best practices and get more connected with the Postgres community. We’ll also talk through how EDB can help you update and supercharge your Postgres experience, including migrating to the cloud.
Whether you’re looking to read more books, do some spring cleaning or save more money, we hope these suggestions will help motivate and inspire you for the year ahead.
Resolution 1: Read more
Reading more books is a common New Year's resolution! Why not set a goal of reading more educational content from authors in the Postgres community? This is a great way to stay up on the latest Postgres trends, tips and best practices. We are continually impressed by the knowledge and expertise of the vast open source community that builds Postgres with EDB. Many of them also contribute to the community by publishing blogs and sharing their experiences on other online platforms.
Here are a few of our favorites to help you get started:
- The Postgres Builders Blog by EDB - Of course, we have to start the list with our blog. Our team of experts works hard to continually update this resource with the latest news, tips and best practices to help you get the most out of Postgres.
- Planet Postgres blog - This blog aggregation service is run by the PostgreSQL community. Browse thousands of blog entries written by developers for developers. And be sure to check the blog list page where you’ll see links to more than a dozen blogs written by EDB staffers, like Bruce Momjian, Peter Eisentraut, and Robert Haas.
- PostgreSQL 16 Administration Cookbook - If you were at the 2023 PostgreSQL Conference Europe you’ve probably already heard about this book, it got a ton of buzz at the meeting with several of the authors giving lectures during the event. Written by a team of PostgreSQL experts (who all happen to be current or former EDB team members) this cookbook covers the latest updates of PostgreSQL. It’s available in both eBook and paperback versions.
- A Curious Moon - Give your Postgres education a sci-fi twist with this space-themed book about PostgreSQL created by Rob Conery, a Developer Advocate at Microsoft. The book uses real data from space to teach Postgres concepts in the context of a planetary adventure.
- Hacker News - We couldn’t make a list of resources without mentioning Hacker News, the social news website run by Y Combinator. If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the world of Postgres, computer science, and entrepreneurship this is a great place to start.
Resolution 2: Spring cleaning
We can’t make a list of New Year’s resolutions without talking about spring cleaning! At home, this might mean cleaning out closets and dusting some hard-to-reach areas. When it comes to getting the most out of Postgres, this means reviewing your tech and making improvements where needed. The new year is a great time for evaluating current database technology setups and ensuring they're optimized for performance, security and scalability. Hint: if you need help enhancing Postgres capabilities, EDB is the way to go. We have the enterprise-grade tools, support expertise and comprehensive services you need for high availability, monitoring and backup/recovery you can trust.
Resolution 3: Save money
Could this be the year you finally leave Oracle? It could save you a ton of money! We hear it all the time: companies want to migrate because their current solution is way too expensive, the contracts are long, and once you’re locked in, you’re stuck. Using EDB is the fastest way to migrate from Oracle to Postgres because EDB Postgres Advanced Server is enterprise-ready and seamlessly compatible with Oracle. Making the switch to EDB gives you significant cost savings, as well as enhanced security, performance and scalability while boosting DBA and developer productivity. Bottom line, EDB helps you do more while spending less, so you can stop worrying about your IT budget and focus on scaling your business.
Resolution 4: Make new friends
It’s time to get out there and meet the Postgres community in person! One of the best ways to expand your database knowledge is by attending an in-person event. While we love webinars and eBooks, nothing can replace the face-to-face interaction you get at a conference. Attending these events is a golden opportunity for networking, learning and gaining insights straight from the experts. Make it your goal this year to attend an in-person event focused on Postgres and database management. There are plenty of conferences, seminars and other live events to choose from in the year ahead.
Here are a few to consider putting on your calendar:
- FOSDEM PGDay 2024 - February 2, 2024
- PGConf India - February 28 - March 01, 2024
- PGConf Germany - April 12, 2024
- Postgres Conference - April 18 - 19, 2024
- PostgreSQL Development Conference - May 28 - 31, 2024
- PGConf NYC - September 30 - October 2, 2024
- Big Data Paris - October 15 - 16, 2024
- EDB Postgres Vision - Coming to a city near you in 2024. Stay tuned for announcements about location and dates!
P.S. If you can’t make it to one of the major conferences, check out your local PostgreSQL User Group instead! Most local groups have meetings every month, with details posted on MeetUp. There are Local Use Groups in most major cities, so you’re sure to find at least one event you could attend this year!
Resolution 5: Get moving… to the cloud!
If moving your database to the cloud has been on your to-do list for years, 2024 is the time to finally make it happen! Moving to the cloud is the ultimate upgrade for modernizing your database, and EDB BigAnimal is the only distributed, fully managed, Oracle-compatible Postgres database on every cloud. By cost-effectively running Postgres in the cloud, you never have to worry about blowing your whole IT budget on replacing outdated or insufficient equipment. Especially if what you need is affordable, flexible, resilient, scalable Postgres in the cloud. Our enterprise-grade features also include management and monitoring, high availability, backup and recovery, as well as extensive security and compliance. We’ll make it easy for you to finally check “moving to the cloud” off your to-do list. P.S. If you have other movement-based New Year's resolutions like exercising more, or traveling to a new place, that’s great too!
The New Year is such an exciting time, full of possibilities. Setting goals can help you achieve everything you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months and beyond! We hope this list helps you unlock more possibilities with Postgres, so you can have a successful year of database management. By embracing new resources, events and capabilities, you’re embarking on a journey toward maximizing your database potential in the New Year.