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PostgreSQL Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
book

PostgreSQL Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

by Jimmy Angelakos
June 2025
Beginner to intermediate
232 pages
6h 56m
English
Manning Publications

Overview

Recognize and avoid these common PostgreSQL mistakes!

The best mistakes to learn from are ones made by other people! In PostgreSQL Mistakes and How To Avoid Them you’ll explore dozens of common PostgreSQL errors so you can easily avoid them in your own projects, learning proactively why certain approaches fail and others succeed.

In PostgreSQL Mistakes and How To Avoid Them you’ll learn how to:

  • Avoid configuration and operation issues
  • Maximize PostgreSQL utility and performance
  • Fix bad SQL practices
  • Solve common security and administration issues
  • Ensure smooth migration and upgrades
  • Diagnose and fix a bad database

As PostgreSQL continues its rise as a leading open source database, mastering its intricacies is crucial. PostgreSQL Mistakes and How To Avoid Them is full of tested best practices to ensure top performance, and future-proof your database systems for seamless change and growth. Each of the mistakes is carefully described and accompanied by a demo, along with an explanation that expands your knowledge of PostgreSQL internals and helps you to build a stronger mental model of how the database engine works.

About the Technology
Fixing mistakes in PostgreSQL databases can be time-consuming and risky—especially when you’re making live changes to an in-use system. Fortunately, you can learn from the mistakes other Postgres pros have already made! This incredibly practical book lays out how to find and avoid the most common, dangerous, and sneaky errors you’ll encounter using PostgreSQL.

About the Book
PostgreSQL Mistakes and How To Avoid Them identifies Postgres problems in key areas like data types, features, security, and high availability. For each mistake you’ll find a real-world narrative that illustrates the pattern and provides concrete recommendations for improvement. You’ll especially appreciate the illustrative code snippets, schema samples, mind maps, and tables that show the pros and cons of different approaches.

What's Inside
  • Diagnose configuration and operation issues
  • Fix bad SQL code
  • Address security and administration issues
  • Ensure smooth migration and upgrades


About the Reader
For PostgreSQL database administrators and application developers.

About the Author
Jimmy Angelakos is a systems and database architect and PostgreSQL Contributor. He works as a Senior Principal Engineer at Deriv.

Quotes
I’ve run into many of these mistakes. Read up to get prepared!
- Milorad Imbra, FEVO

Navigates PostgreSQL pitfalls with clarity. I highly recommend it.
- Manohar Sai Jasti, Workday

A straightforward style and real-world examples make it an essential read.
- Potito Coluccelli, Econocom Italia

Provides valuable tips to avoid common PostgreSQL pitfalls.
- Fernando Bugni, Grupo QuintoAndar

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781633436879Publisher SupportPublisher Website