PostgreSQL Tutorial for Beginners

PostgreSQL comes with a long history worth 15 years of active development. As a result, the database system has evolved into a powerful and proven architecture delivering reliability. It also plays an active role in data integrity. The best part- PostgreSQL runs on almost all operating systems, including Mac OS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, etc. 

Let’s take an in-depth insight into understanding PostgreSQL and its significance in programming. 

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What is PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL is an enterprise-class open-source database. This database management system is object-relational and stores data in rows, with columns as separate data attributes. The database management system supports both JSON and SQL for non-relational and relational queries for SQL and extensibility compliance. 

The database helps store, process, and retrieve data safely while supporting performance optimisation features and advanced data types. Global volunteers contributed to the development of this database with countless features ranking PostgreSQL as one of the most popular databases.

Important Features of PostgreSQL

These are some of the essential features of PostgreSQL:

• Permits administrators to build a fault-tolerant environment with data integrity protection
• Enables building successful applications
• Extends highly sophisticated locking mechanism
• Platform compatibility using all leading middleware and major languages
• Mature server-side programming functionality
• Supports multi-version concurrency control
• Supports client-server network architecture
• Fully compliant with the ANSI SQL standard
• Provides standby server and high availability
• Trigger-based and log-based replication SSL
• Permits linking with data stores like NoSQL, a hub for innumerable databases in varying languages
• Object-oriented and compatible with ANSI-SQL2008 

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Practical Applications of PostgreSQL 

PostgreSQL has attractive features, causing database management systems to have diverse practical applications. Industries using PostgreSQL include:

• Web Technology and NoSQL

PostgreSQL, with its scalability, is the best solution for websites dealing with thousands of requests per second. In addition, PostgreSQL supports all modern web frameworks like Node.js, PHP, Node.js, Hibernate, etc. The database also has replication features to scale out the desired number of database servers. 

• Financial Industry

PostgreSQL is an ideal DBMS system for the financial industry. It is ACID-compliant, a perfect choice for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP). In addition, PostgreSQL allows performing database analytics and can be integrated with various mathematical software like R and Matlab. 

• Scientific Data

PostgreSQL offers exceptional analytical capabilities and a powerful SQL engine to deal with extensive data retrieved while scanning countless scientific research materials. PostgreSQL’s ability to easily manage enormous data makes it ideal for scientific research. 

• Manufacturing Industry

Industrial manufacturers use PostgreSQL to speed up their overall business process. PostgreSQL also plays a crucial role in optimising supply chain performance using open-source DBMS as a storage backend and accelerating business operations. As a result, many businesses have claimed PostgreSQL to lower the operational costs of their business. 

• Government GIS Data

PostgreSQL comes with a powerful GIS, known as “PostGIS”. With this extension, you can process hundreds of functions and geometric data in various formats. Moreover, PostgreSQL is highly standard compliant. Using both QGIS and GeoServer, the Open Source Community provides a simple method to handle Geodata. 

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How to install PostgreSQL?

Follow the given steps for downloading and installing PostgreSQL:

• Step 1

Visit https://www.postgresql.org/download/ and choose your operating system to install the database system.

• Step 2

Next, open the installer .exe file to start the installation process.

• Step 3

Select the preferred language.

• Step 4

Locate the path for PostgreSQL software installation on the system.

• Step 5

Now select the components that you want to install.

• Step 6

Set the superuser password. 

• Step 7

Set the port number as default.

• Step 8

Click the ‘Next’ button to start the installation. 

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How to start PostgreSQL?

Follow these steps to start using PostgreSQL:

• Step 1

Go to Start Menu and search pgAdmin 4.

• Step 2

The pgAdmin homepage will open.

• Step 3

Now click on Servers ⇒ PostgreSQL 10 in the left tree.

• Step 4

Enter the superuser password set during the installation process. Once done, click on the OK button. 

• Step 5

PostgreSQL dashboard will open.

What are the advantages of PostgreSQL?

Some advantages of the PostgreSQL system are as follows:

• PostgreSQL is a highly fault-tolerant database with its feature of write-ahead logging.
• It is possible to run dynamic web applications and websites with PostgreSQL as a LAMP stack option.
• PostgreSQL supports geographic objects; therefore, you can use it for geographic information systems, geospatial data storage, and location-based services.
• It does not require rigorous training as the database is easy to use.
• The source code of PostgreSQL is available freely under an open-source license. 
• Demands low maintenance for enterprise and embedded use of PostgreSQL.

What are some limitations of PostgreSQL?

Like every database system, the PostgreSQL database has its own set of disadvantages. Some of them are as follows:

• The ownership of Postgre is not restricted to a single organisation. 
• Many open source apps support MySQL, but PostgreSQL lacks support.
• The focus of PostgreSQL is on compatibility. Changes in speed improvement demand more work than MySQL. 
• Based on performance metrics, PostgreSQL is slower than MySQL.

Conclusion

This PostgreSQL tutorial for beginners gives a basic idea of the PostgreSQL database. However, if you are interested in pursuing a career in this subject, you can always go for an advanced course in PostgreSQL. You can find suitable guides and PostgreSQL tutorials for advanced levels. 

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