Top 3 Upgrades in New EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5

Contributed by Jason Davis

The newest version of EDB Postgres Advanced Server® merges the recently released community version of PostgreSQL with EDB’s enterprise-class, open-source-based database. EDB Postgres Advanced Server is complete with additional performance, security and management capabilities.

What are the top 3 upgrades in the new 9.5 version?

Last year in EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.4, we improved database manageability with resource management features, providing customers with the ability to run mixed workloads while controlling CPU and Disk I/O consumption. Read more here.

This year, in the 9.5 version of EDB Postgres Advanced Server, we focused on (1) security, (2) performance and scalability, as well as (3) improvements to compatibility features that help facilitate migrations with and from Oracle.

1.     Performance and Scalability

Organizations that seek better resource utilization for large databases with high concurrency of users on ‘big iron’ servers (4 to 12 cores/socket, 2 to 8 sockets and 128 GB or more of RAM) will benefit from improved scalability. EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5 significantly reduces lock contention during write operations, which results in better performance as the client load increases. Vertical scaling optimizations for EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5 show significant improvements over previous versions of Advanced Server and current verisons of PostgreSQL. (In one benchmark, write workloads performed 133% better at 128 clients and 30% better at 64 clients on an 8 socket / 64 core / 128 thread x86 system.)

These enhancements particularly benefit applications that experience spikes in client loads from time to time, or those that see sustained loads of a significant amount throughout the day.

How did we achieve this? EDB engineers have worked closely with other members of the open source community to optimize Postgres’ performance and scalability on more powerful hardware. The write scalability improvements were to be part of next year’s PostgreSQL 9.6 release, but EDB delivered the improvement in the EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5.

2.     Security

Organizations that want to use an open source database often require additional security features on top of what is available with community-provided software. As a result, EDB works with customers to understand their evolving requirements and integrates deeper layers of security into the database to meet higher standards. With each release, EDB adds additional security features and capabilities for highly regulated or intensely guarded environments. With EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5, users can now take advantage of Password Profiles and Session Tag Auditing.

Password Profiles provide policy management functions for User accounts and passwords inside the database. Database administrators can create security profiles for passwords, define attributes like password strength and lifetimes; and assign them to groups, roles and individuals across multiple databases.

Password Profiles also make security enforcement easier to manage and to protect data more effectively for important compliance initiatives like PCI DSS. Password Profiles are also compatible with Oracle Profiles, making migrations easier and allowing Oracle users to continue using their skills in EDB Postgres Advanced Server.

Session Tag Auditing allows developers to associate middle-tier application layer data, such as application user name or client IP address, with activities in the database log. This provides more detailed information about database activity and richer auditing capabilities.

3.     Oracle Migration & Compatibility

A cornerstone of the EDB enhancements developed for Postgres is database compatibility for Oracle. This enables organizations to easily migrate applications from Oracle to Postgres with little or no refactoring while reusing Oracle skills and tools. In all, EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5 supports many capabilities such as SQL extensions; PL/SQL; database links; synonyms; table partitioning; data types; 22 predefined, built-in packages; and 208 functions to support migrations from Oracle. For more information, check out this new video on EDB Postgres compatibility with Oracle. 

EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5 includes:

• EDB*Loader option FREEZE to improve bulk data load performance and option ZONED to support bulk loading of data from mainframe machines.
• Support for SYS_CONNECT_BY_PATH in hierarchical queries.
• New function package support for UTL_RAW and DBMS_SESSION and expanded support for UTL_HTTP. These make Oracle migrations faster and allow developers continued use of Oracle skills in new Postgres Advanced Server applications.

EDB continually works with enterprise users to identify ways to enhance EDB Postgres Advanced Server. The release of v9.5 reflects the demands on today’s organizations to run more powerful, high-performance workloads, as well as their desire to use Postgres for these applications.

To learn learn more, listen to this webcast that covers all of the new features in EDB Postgres Advanced Server 9.5, or contact us.

Jason Davis is Senior Director, Product Management, at EnterpriseDB.