Exploring PostgreSQL 17: New Features & Enhancements

August 27, 2024

EDB is committed to sharing our Postgres knowledge and expertise with the vibrant open source community. With the release of  PostgreSQL 17 coming up we are ready to unlock new possibilities with the world’s most popular database, as new features and enhancements are added. To give the community a preview of what’s new in PostgreSQL 17, EDB Vice President, Postgres Evangelist Bruce Momjian and EDB Technical Fellow Marc Linster recently took part in a webinar titled, “Exploring PostgreSQL 17: New Features and Enhancements” hosted by Information Week. Moderator Michael Krieger led the discussion into the latest advancements in PostgreSQL, with expert insights from Marc and Bruce. As the leader in Postgres contributions, EDB is dedicated to driving this technology forward with each release, empowering developers and IT leaders to do more faster with Postgres—a database designed for business-critical needs in a rapidly evolving world. 

The session highlighted the significant developments in PostgreSQL 17, touching on everything from incremental backups to improved logical replication. Let’s explore some of the exciting new features and enhancements discussed during the webinar.

New in PostgreSQL 17 

Support for incremental backups

One of the most anticipated features in PostgreSQL 17 is support for incremental backups. While traditional base backups require a full database copy, incremental backups capture only what has changed since the last backup. If you read our blog about Incrimental Backup then you already understand how Barman 3.11 and PostgreSQL 17 form a powerful duo capable of delivering seamless enterprise-grade backup strategies. This new functionality will be integrated directly into the server, which will dramatically decrease both storage requirements and recovery times. The feature is important in enterprise database environments where complete backup is time-consuming and resource-intensive.

JSON flexibility with PostgreSQL

Another key advancement is how JSON with PostgreSQL 17 is processed. Now, we have the ability to take the JSON and transform it into a relational table. This makes working with JSON data a lot simpler inside SQL environments. It is a feature that bridges the space between relational and non-relational data, enabling developers to be much more flexible with work across an array of data formats.

CTE and UNION query performance

The most essential optimization improvements of PostgreSQL 17 are related to the way it handles CTEs and UNION queries. These improvements open doors to better performance and, in general, more effective query execution in PostgreSQL. This is useful for complex scenarios where the optimizer can now leverage statistics of the earlier parts of the query to identify results of the overall execution plan of a given query—making it easier to handle massive volumes of data for various analytical needs.

Improved Logical Replication Dynamics

One of the more impactful changes in PostgreSQL 17 is the improved interaction between logical replication, physical replication failover, and upgrading processes. Logical replication allows for more granular data synchronization, which is crucial for scenarios where only specific tables or data sets need to be replicated. The ability to failover logical replication slots without having to recreate them significantly enhances the high availability and disaster recovery capabilities of PostgreSQL, making it an even more robust choice for mission-critical applications.

This improvement also means that developers and database administrators can combine logical and physical replication in more complex architectures without worrying about data integrity or system stability during failovers. This makes PostgreSQL more stable and reliable in enterprise environments where downtime can have significant business impacts.

The Path to the Future

The webinar also touched on some exciting developments outside of the core PostgreSQL 17 features. EDB’s version of PostgreSQL 17, known as EDB Postgres 17, adds full support for XML DOM and XML types, which have historically been a challenge for those migrating from Oracle. This makes EDB Postgres 17 an even more attractive option for enterprises looking to switch to an open-source database without sacrificing the features they’ve come to rely on in proprietary systems.

Moreover, the discussion around PG Vector—an AI extension for PostgreSQL—highlighted the growing importance of AI and machine learning workloads in database environments. While PG Vector is not specific to PostgreSQL 17, its compatibility with this latest release underscores PostgreSQL’s extendability and its ability to quickly adapt to emerging technologies.

As PostgreSQL 17 approaches its official release this fall, it’s clear that this version is packed with features and enhancements that will benefit a wide range of users—from developers working with JSON data to enterprises needing robust, high-availability solutions. The webinar provided a comprehensive overview of these advancements, making it evident that PostgreSQL 17 is not just an incremental update but a significant step forward in database technology.

For those considering upgrading to PostgreSQL 17, the new features discussed in the webinar make a compelling case. Whether you’re interested in the improved backup capabilities, the enhanced JSON functionalities, or optimizer enhancements for queries, PostgreSQL 17 offers tools that can help you achieve better performance, greater reliability, and more flexibility in managing your data.

If you missed the live webinar, we highly recommend watching the recording and reaching out to EDB for more information on how PostgreSQL 17 can benefit your organization, as this release is set to be a cornerstone of database infrastructure for years to come.

 

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