PostgreSQL ??

[Mateusz [PEYN] Adamus]

Hi

I'm a developer currently wondering which DB choose for my next project.
I looked on the net found ofcourse Oracle but also came up with
PostgreSQL. I heard quite few things about it, all good so I'm wondering
how really it is.

Till now I've been working on MSSQL and Interbase. So PostgreSQL and
Oracle are pretty new to me. I would have to learn them from the start
there for I have to make a wise decision :D

I know this is a PostgreSQL group so I'm not asking you to tell me which
DB is better (Oracle or PostgreSQL). But I have a few questions to you:

1. What about bugs? How long does it take to fix a new bug for the
PostgreSQL community? How often new bugs happen? I understand that there
are many people who are active in developing this databese.

2. How about stored procedures - I know they exists but in what language
can I write them? As far as I know in Oracle I can write procedures in
java (for example: decompress a zipped file placed in a blob cell of
table and then insert decompressed data into some other table). What
about PostgreSQL - what are the posibilities?

3. How about maintaining database? As I read on net with Oracle it is
quite possible that I will need a DBA - how about PostgreSQL? How much
attantion does it need? Can I fire and forget? :D

4. I'd like to create my new application in .NET - how about components
for that platform? Are there any? Do I need any special stuff for it or
maybe I can use some standard components?

5. I'm originaly a Delphi developer so for a piece of mind - how about a
PostgreSQL application wrote in Delphi? Is it a piece of a cake or maybe
I will die in front of my monitor? :D

I know that PostgreSQL is for free and that is a big advantage but I
can't only look at that.

So. I think that's it for now. Thanks in advance for all your posts.

best regards
Mateusz [PEYN] Adamus

[Some Internet Dude]

Hi Mateusz,

I have been using PostgreSQL both personally and prefessionally for
the past couple of years and LOVE it. I'll try to comment on your
questions below based on "my" experiences:

1. What about bugs? How long does it take to fix a new bug for the
PostgreSQL community? How often new bugs happen? I understand that there
are many people who are active in developing this databese.
I personally have never run across a "bug" in PostgreSQL. Perhaps I'm
just lucky. :) Though in honesty, I usually don't push PostgreSQL to
the bleeding edge where bugs may be more likely to occur.

One thing I did notice once was an unimplemented feature (creation of
user specified Domains) which was mentioned in the documentation for
the version of PostgreSQL I happened to be using at the time. I
believe I was using 7.4. The documentation indecated that it was
possible to create my own user-defined domains using CREATE DOMAIN...
But the feature seemed not to be implemented in 7.4. Once version
8.0.1 came out, that particular feature was fully implemented.
2. How about stored procedures - I know they exists but in what language
can I write them? As far as I know in Oracle I can write procedures in
java (for example: decompress a zipped file placed in a blob cell of
table and then insert decompressed data into some other table). What
about PostgreSQL - what are the posibilities?
From the PostgreSQL documentation, it seems that you can write stored
procedures in PL/pgSQL (nearly identical to Oracle's PL/SQL), Tcl,
Perl and Python. Unfortunately, I just don't yet have the need for
any stored procedures. But I can't wait until I do. :) I have
"played around" writing simple demonstrative stored procedures in the
PL/pgSQL and like it VERY much!
3. How about maintaining database? As I read on net with Oracle it is
quite possible that I will need a DBA - how about PostgreSQL? How much
attantion does it need? Can I fire and forget? :D
I bet that depends on your particular needs and environment. Where I
work, we have a smaller sized PostgreSQL database with multiple tables
with a max of about 7000 records in any of them. It basically runs
itself. I have some cron jobs which back up the individual databases
and the entire system each day. I have to check that the cron jobs
are working properly. But other than that, our PostgreSQL instance
requires no maintenance whatsoever. But then again, we're not pushing
the envelope. :)
4. I'd like to create my new application in .NET - how about components
for that platform? Are there any? Do I need any special stuff for it or
maybe I can use some standard components?
Sorry, I just don't know much about that .Net stuff.
5. I'm originaly a Delphi developer so for a piece of mind - how about a
PostgreSQL application wrote in Delphi? Is it a piece of a cake or maybe
I will die in front of my monitor? :D
Sorry, I don't know much about Delphi either. I do know that
PostgreSQL comes with some very nice C/C++ interfaces to PostgreSQL as
well as the Tcl, Perl and Python languages mentioned in the
documentation. And of course there's JDBC. Be sure to specifically
include them when you install from source. But they're there and
should be very usefull.
I know that PostgreSQL is for free and that is a big advantage but I
can't only look at that.
Yeah, no kidding. I feel really bummed every time I try free software
that falls just short of my needs. Fortunately, PostgreSQL has not
just met but even exceeded every one of my needs so far. It really
has some advanced features. And the things that it does, it does
incredibly well. I've used it for years on a small scale and just
love it to death.
So. I think that's it for now. Thanks in advance for all your posts.
I think my best advice would be to download it, READ THE
DOCUMENTATION, put up a little test server and try it out. Put it
through some paces so to speak.
best regards
Mateusz [PEYN] Adamus