What You Will Learn Implement PostgreSQL features for reliability and performance Harness the power of the latest PostgreSQL 9.4 features Manage PostgreSQL versions 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, and 9.4 Advanced technical tips for experienced users Explore best practices for planning and designing live databases Select and implement robust backup and recovery techniques Concise and clear guidance on replication and high availability Latest details on Logical Replication and Bi-Directional Replication Book Description PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source, object-relational database system, fast becoming one of the world's most popular server databases with an enviable reputation for performance and stability and an enormous range of advanced features. Starting with short and simple recipes to get you back up and running with an exploration of the ins and outs of your database, you will soon dive into core features such as configuration, server control, tables, and data. This is a practical guide aimed at giving sysadmins and database administrators the necessary toolkit to be able to set up, run, and extend powerful databases with PostgreSQL. Authors Simon Riggs Simon Riggs is CTO of 2ndQuadrant and an active PostgreSQL committer. He has contributed to open source PostgreSQL as a major developer for more than 10 years, having written and designed many new features in every release over that period. Feature credits include replication, performance, business intelligence, management, and security. Under his guidance, 2ndQuadrant is now the leading developer of open source PostgreSQL and a Platinum Sponsor of the PostgreSQL project, serving hundreds of clients in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Simon is a frequent speaker at many conferences and is well known for his talks on PostgreSQL futures and different aspects of replication. He has also worked with many different databases as a developer, architect, data analyst, and designer with companies across the US and Europe for nearly 30 years. Gianni Ciolli Gianni Ciolli is a principal consultant for 2ndQuadrant Italia, where he has worked since 2008 as a developer, consultant, and trainer. He is a speaker at PostgreSQL conferences in Europe and abroad, and his other IT skills include functional languages and symbolic computing. Gianni has a PhD in mathematics and is the author of published research on algebraic geometry, theoretical physics, and formal proof theory. He previously worked at the University of Florence as a researcher and teacher. Gianni has been working with free and open source software for almost 20 years. From 2001 to 2004, he was president of the PLUG – Prato Linux User Group. He organized many editions of the Italian PostgreSQL conference, and in 2013 was elected to the board of ITPUG, the Italian PostgreSQL Users Group. He currently lives in London with his son; his other interests include music, drama, poetry, and sport, in particular athletics, as he often competes in combined events. Continue reading Hannu Krosing Hannu Krosing is a principal consultant at 2ndQuadrant and a technical advisor at Ambient Sound Investments. As the original database architect at Skype Technologies, he was responsible for designing the SkyTools suite of replication and scalability technology. He has worked with and contributed to the PostgreSQL project for more than 12 years. Gabriele Bartolini A long-time open source programmer, Gabriele Bartolini is a principal consultant with 2ndQuadrant and an active member of the international PostgreSQL community. He has a degree in statistics from the University of Florence. His areas of expertise are data mining and data warehousing, having worked on web traffic analysis in Australia and Italy. Gabriele currently lives in Prato, a small but vibrant city located in the northern part of Tuscany, Italy. His second home is Melbourne, Australia, where he studied at Monash University and worked in the ICT sector. His hobbies include playing his Fender Stratocaster electric guitar and "calcio" (football or soccer, depending on which part of the world you come from). Table of Contents Chapter 1: First Steps Chapter 2: Exploring the Database Chapter 3: Configuration Chapter 4: Server Control Chapter 5: Tables and Data Chapter 6: Security Chapter 7: Database Administration Chapter 8: Monitoring and Diagnosis Chapter 9: Regular Maintenance Chapter 10: Performance and Concurrency Chapter 11: Backup and Recovery Chapter 12: Replication and Upgrades