PostgreSQL: An Introduction to This Modern DBMS

PostgreSQL, or Postgres, is an open source, object-relational database management system (DBMS) with features designed to meet modern data needs. As its name implies, PostgreSQL is SQL-compliant and able to deliver relational database features, however, it also supports non-relational data types like JSON and XML or array and composite data. It’s primarily designed for single-node operation, with all data being served from a single node – however distributed architecture for PostgreSQL also exists to ensure greater scalability, uptime and fault tolerance.

PostgreSQL complies with ACID principles, which ensures database transactions are finalized correctly and with a high degree of reliability. The factors above make PostgreSQL a robust and versatile database solution that developers can reliably use to build, maintain and deliver modern applications or innovations.

Its core capabilities also allow development teams to:

• Include a greater range of data types, from numeric, geometric, and even network addresses for whatever they want to build – however they want.

• Define their own complex data types, allowing them to define and align their database to how they want data to be represented in their applications.

• Access capabilities unique to PostgreSQL like inherited tables and function overloading, which allows for more flexibility in how data is queried, written, stored and referenced in tables and columns.

• Utilize PostgreSQL's extensibility to store data types, functions, and instructions in customizable tables and columns, offering greater flexibility compared to the hardcoded tables of traditional relational databases.

• Extend greater data security and protection with built-in authentication, access control, and privilege management systems.

• Ensure database availability and reliable recovery after an incident, through features like write-ahead logging, point recovery and streaming replication.

What this means for you: Continuously build, improve and scale modern applications with unique database requirements needed to meet modern customer expectations. The open source nature of PostgreSQL also frees you from hardcoded vendor limitations or restrictions – giving you greater overall flexibility and agility for development

Need more technical information or have questions on what PostgreSQL can do? Get in touch with an expert now.

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Businesses looking for a DBMS have a plethora of choices – from open source solutions like PostgreSQL to cloud databases or even on-premises offerings supported by vendors like Oracle and Microsoft.

Most vendor databases, however, do not offer the same technical flexibility and capabilities of PostgreSQL:

A vendor may be able to provide benefits like fully managed services, technical support, or even white glove customizations or tailored payment plans. But those benefits come at a cost that businesses must account for:

Vendor lock-in: The longer a business relies on a vendor, the harder and costlier it becomes to leave. Expensive contract termination fees, switching costs, and technical dependency are some of the hurdles that come with vendor lock-ins.

Lack of forward interoperability: Data interoperability may be challenging for some vendor databases, requiring time-consuming rewrites and technical expertise. The lack of extensibility will limit how fast and efficiently businesses can connect their data.

Uncertainty for innovation: Upgrades and improvements for vendor databases are dependent on the vendor’s priorities, not yours. This may be an issue for businesses looking to grow with agility and remain competitive in their industry.

Rigid licenses and plans: While a solution may be perfect, businesses may find a vendor’s subscription plan to be too restrictive. While some vendors may be willing to accommodate, there’s still the risk that the business will rapidly outgrow a subscription plan.

Deciding on an alternative to a vendor DBMS, or looking to escape lock-ins by vendors like Oracle? Learn how you can take your first steps below.

Deployment Best Practices.

Begin with a reasonable plan and goals that are well-defined and geared for maximum impact. For instance: getting rid of a legacy database solution that’s been expensive to maintain and requires a complex workaround to integrate new data sources and technologies.

Before transitioning an application to PostgreSQL, define a tiering framework for your data estate or architecture. The framework should define Tier 1 data that’s low impact (lenient RPO and RTO, 99.5% availability) to Tier 5 data that’s high impact (RTO less than a minute, 99.999% availability). This clarifies areas of risk and informs contingency plans.

Define your reference architectures. What systems need to be configured? How many replicas are available for redundancy and scaling? What type and number of connections are available? A clear reference architecture, coupled with a tiered framework, will inform what they have to work with when setting up PostgreSQL.

Migration Best Practices.

Start by reviewing your application portfolio and deciding which applications you’d want to migrate – some might be worth retiring instead. Then, prioritize applications to move based on your business objectives and acceptable margin of risk. We typically recommend that businesses pick an application that’s moderately important and not the most difficult to move. That way, businesses can learn from the process, apply lessons, and refine their process to ensure high-value applications are migrated without a hitch.

Next is the database itself. When migrating existing schema to a new database, we recommend identifying and preparing workarounds for potential compatibility issues – for instance, a workaround may be required for Oracle objects that aren’t compatible or converted automatically by the new database. The same concerns apply for database code, which are tied to objects and may encounter the same compatibility issues.

Businesses will also have to choose how they migrate their data. One method is snapshot replication and the second is continuous basis using change data capture (CDC). We’d recommend CDC-based migration due to minimal downtime and the certainty that data changes are synced between source and destination systems.

As a best practice, it’s also worth mentioning the need to test the migrations and verify the integrity, accuracy and performance of the migrated data. Identify the tools and processes you’ll need to compare the data between the two databases, and perform validation checks periodically.

At this stage, it’s also worth establishing tools and processes required for availability requirements, backup, and recovery, along with monitoring or management tools, before beginning migrations of your production environment.

Security Best Practices.

PostgreSQL has a robust list of security measures that can be configured with granularity for advanced data protection.

Access: Ensure access to your PostgreSQL database is configured with the principles of least privilege. Establish firewalls and transport encryption to respectively detect unauthorized external access attempts and secure data-in-transit and at-rest.

Authentication: Proper configuration of client authentication will enable control of users who can access the server via multiple authentication methods. Determine with your Postgres partner which methods work best for your organization.

Roles: PostgreSQL utilizes the SQL Standard compliant roles systems to set attributed roles to users. Identify users that should be assigned certain roles: who is a superuser? Who gets to create databases? Who can initiate streaming replication?

Data access control: Take time to read and understand PostgreSQL’s data access control capabilities, including the function of each command, the objects they control and the many other functions available.

Encryption: PostgreSQL has several encryption extensions and commands that allow for varying levels of data encryption. Work with a provider to determine the level of security that your data requires.

Need help determining which PostgreSQL best practice to follow? Get help and advice from our experts.