PostgreSQL For MySQL DBAs Episode 9: References

PostgreSQL For MySQL DBAs Episode 9: References

PostgreSQL For MySQL DBAs

Thank you for the many kind responses to this series.  There are many out there who have MySQL experience and are seeking to expand into PostgreSQL for reasons ranging from simple curiosity to fortifying their professional skills. Now that we have covered the low-level basics, it is time to gain knowledge of some community resources in the PostgreSQL world.

When learning a new database there comes a time where you are able to somewhat master the basics – startup, add data, query data, make backups — and hopefully by following this series you are at a point where you are about to transition from the equivalent of crawling along and are about to toddle. To aid in this transition I would like to make you aware of some reference material that you should be aware of to aid you. Accompanying Video.

PostgreSQL Administration Cookbook cover

The book PostgreSQL 14 Administration Cookbook by Simon Riggs and Gianni Ciolli is a handy reference.  It has an extensive width and breadth of material and I highly recommend the section on security as it is worth the price of the book alone.  Since PostgreSQL is so much mechanically different to operate than MySQL, take some time to study the miniatous and replication chapters too. I like books and this one has become a handy reference, and I will write a full review of this book soon.   If you do not find it in your local bookstore, you can find it on Amazon.

https://planet.postgresql.org is the equivalent to planet.mysql.com and for novices, much of the material is still a little over your head.  But reading the content on this website will give you a glimpse at the activities in the community such as the second half of an internals book is available (for free!) and how to corrupt (on purpose) a PostgreSQL database.  This is usually not a high-traffic site and checking in every few days will greatly expand your viewpoint.

https://www.scalingpostgres.com posts once a week and you can have a link to each new episode sent to your inbox.  Each episode features a dozen or so posts from around the internet coving topics from high availability to fine points of SQL syntax.  Again, most of the content is above novice level but it will help you build situational awareness as you transition to an intermediate skill level.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PostgreSQL/ suffers from a “high noise to signal” ratio but there are good questions asked and links to valuable articles.  However, there are a lot of posts from students looking for help with homework

And last but not least https://forums.percona.com/ is where you can ask questions.  This is usually not a high-volume traffic site but it affords you the chance to see problems others have so that hopefully, you can learn by observation (search the internet for Will Rogers on learning by observation).  And if you can answer someone else’s question, Percona would love for you to contribute.  Heck, you can even win awards for doing so.

You will find the companion videos for this blog post here.

There are other online resources like the many PostgreSQL mailing lists but generally, you will find those probably too esoteric at this point on the learning curve.

The past videos for PostgreSQL for MySQL Database Administrators (DBA) can be found here: episode oneepisode two, episode three, episode four, episode five, episode six, episode seven, and episode eight.

Have a topic suggestion?  If you are following this series and have a topic you want covered, please let me know.

Bonus!  Learn PostgreSQL in a browser at https://www.crunchydata.com/developers/tutorials

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