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David StokesThis blog was first authored in 2022. We’ve updated it in 2025 for clarity and relevance, reflecting current practices while honoring their original perspective. PostgreSQL 15 introduced the MERGE command, a feature that has a big impact on how you can manage data updates. With MERGE, you can combine inserts, updates, and deletes into a […]
Database novices often wonder how ‘things work behind the scenes’ when starting with PostgreSQL. Many things happen when creating a table and adding data that are not apparent. You might ask, ‘Where does the data go?’ Luckily, it is easy to discover the details. Creating a table Creating a table creates a lot of metadata […]
MySQL 9.0 is an Innovation Release, but as you may have read in my Quick Peek, I found little innovation. However, one new item caught my eye, and it could be a way to track query performance. MySQL 9.0 EXPLAIN enhancement Here is the syntax that will be referenced in the post. {EXPLAIN | DESCRIBE […]
MySQL 9.0 was released on July 1, 2024. This is an ‘Innovation’ release, which means it provides access to the latest features and improvements in MySQL technologies. Innovation releases are the opposite of the Long Term Support (LTS) releases, where stability is the top priority, and only needed security and other fixes are available. This […]
PostgreSQL releases are incremental evolutions that improve the product. The beta version 17 was recently released, and there are two small items you may overlook unless you have them pointed out to you. So, “Point! Point!” MERGE() MERGE() was a new feature of PostgreSQL 15. It allows you to modify the contents of a target […]
You may have heard about Unisuper’s problem last week; see here. The $135 billion dollar company’s data was wiped off its cloud, and everything disappeared—zip, zero, nada. Everything they relied upon was gone. Their Google Cloud experience has been labeled an “unprecedented occurrence.” Wouldn’t you like to hear the audio recording of the help desk […]
MySQL 8.4 has now been officially released, and this is a quick review of what is in the release notes. This is momentous as it is designated a Long-Term Support (LTS) release. Various 8.0 releases introduced material changes that impacted speed and stability, causing hair-pulling and swearing among those affected. Please note this is a […]
JSON_TABLE() will be in PostgreSQL 17! It almost made it two years ago but was yanked away at the last minute. We will get it shortly when PostgreSQL 17 is officially released this year! Please see this. Why is this important? JSON has become the data interchange format of choice for most developers. JSON had […]
Many years ago, when I was the Certification Manager for MySQL AB, I would be in contact with hiring managers looking for talent. One frustrated individual informed me that while it was hard to find a qualified MySQL DBA, it was impossible to find a qualified PostgreSQL DBA. Years later, that same sentiment is still […]
Percona’s pg_tde project brings a long-needed ability to encrypt data to PostgreSQL transparently. We are actively asking you to test this code to help build a better project. So please test pg_tde! As you have probably read in earlier blogs on pg_tde, it depends on a keyring. Two keys Encrypting the data requires two types […]
Transparent Data Encryption is one ‘missing item’ in comparing PostgreSQL to commercial databases. Percona’s pg_tde project will correct this shortcoming. Progress is ongoing, and Percona would love your feedback, so please download and test. Documentation The pg_tde documentation is here. You will find many options for obtaining pg_tde – Docker images, RPM, DEB, and source […]
MySQL is a very popular database and a good choice for new projects. But is it the best choice? Luckily you have several options for this choice. MySQL Community vs. Enterprise Editions Traditionally, the MySQL Community Edition has been a mainstay in the open source community for decades, and it is available for free. Originally, […]
Are your MySQL users using ‘password’, ‘s3cr3t’, or ‘thebossisajerk’ as their passwords? Easy-to-guess passwords can be disastrous to the security of your data, but there is a way to exclude inappropriate words or phrases from being used. The first step is to compile a list of words and phrases you want to exclude, and that […]
This blog was originally published in June of 2023 and updated in February of 2024. For more than a quarter of a century, people have been discussing “Which is better, MySQL vs PostgreSQL?” — with no resolution. When people ask me which is better, I have to ask them what they want to do and […]
PG_TDE is an experimental transparent data encryption access method for PostgreSQL 16 and beyond that I reviewed last October. There have been a lot of changes that covered in this post. This software is under active development. In the spirit of open and transparent communication, we would appreciate your feedback and invite PostgreSQL users to […]
PostgreSQL differs from certain other databases as it lacks a native solution to encrypt data on disk transparently. At Percona, we are in the process of developing PG_TDE, a tool designed to encrypt data using the AES-CTR encryption algorithm. This code is currently under development, and we are seeking your assistance in testing it. This […]
Securing your data can be a tough task. Unlike some other databases, PostgreSQL does not have a native solution to encrypt data on disk transparently. Percona is developing PG_TDE to encrypt that data using the AES-CTR encryption algorithm. This code is in development, and we need your help testing it. This blog will cover what […]
Oracle recently released MySQL 8.0.36 and MySQL 8.3, and this is a perusal of the release notes to determine what is new, what is in the seventy-three bugs fixed, and what has changed in the three months since the last releases. Comments in italics are my own and do not reflect the view of anyone […]
The book PostgreSQL 14 Internals has been available in PDF format for quite a while, but recently, the ability to order a printed copy became available (https://postgrespro.com/community/books/internals). This 548-page tome from PostgresPro covers the spectrum from data organization to details on the many available indexing options. This book has five major sections on MVCC and […]
Oracle recently made their quarterly releases with MySQL 8.0.35 and MySQL 8.2. This blog post is a quick look at the release notes to see what these new versions bring to the community. You’ll want to keep an eye on the deprecations in particular because some long-accepted behavior, including wildcards, will change eventually. We get […]