Book Image

PostgreSQL Administration Cookbook, 9.5/9.6 Edition - Third Edition

Book Image

PostgreSQL Administration Cookbook, 9.5/9.6 Edition - Third Edition

Overview of this book

PostgreSQL is a powerful opensource database management system; now recognized as the expert's choice for a wide range of applications, it has an enviable reputation for performance and stability. PostgreSQL provides an integrated feature set comprising relational database features, object-relational, text search, Geographical Info Systems, analytical tools for big data and JSON/XML document management. Starting with short and simple recipes, you will soon dive into core features, such as configuration, server control, tables, and data. You will tackle a variety of problems a database administrator usually encounters, from creating tables to managing views, from improving performance to securing your database, and from using monitoring tools to using storage engines. Recipes based on important topics such as high availability, concurrency, replication, backup and recovery, as well as diagnostics and troubleshooting are also given special importance. By the end of this book, you will have all the knowledge you need to run, manage, and maintain PostgreSQL efficiently.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

Introduction

To understand PostgreSQL, you need to see it in use. An empty database is like a ghost town without houses.

For now, we will assume that you've already got a database. There are already more than 1,000 books on how to design your own database from nothing. So here we aim to help people who already have access to a PostgreSQL database but are still learning to use the PostgreSQL database management system.

The best way to start is by asking some simple questions to orient yourself and begin the process of understanding. Incidentally, these are also questions you'll need to answer if you ask someone else for help.