Why PostgreSQL

Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Database.

Timothy Johnson asks in the last post

Can you tell us why the switch from mySQL to postgre? I am not a db-guy (a ui designer) but I would like to hear from a switcher about the differences between the 2. ... Is postgre part of the logical progression? I have made all the same tool changes you have besides this one

I'm not really a "db-guy" either but this is why I switched:

  1. One of my projects needs a really good db with stored procedures. A friend who knows much more than I recommends Postgres.
  2. I dread installing, setting up, and learning yet another application,
  3. But, I download, install from source and have Postgres running in no time at all. Everything just works.
  4. I started looking at the documentation and ended up reading almost the entire thing. I can't explain it but the docs have a great quality. Simple, to the point, but with enough examples to get you going. (ok, I only read sections I-III, and skimmed the rest, but still...)
  5. I tell my wife "this is like, the Ruby of databases!"
  6. I start getting giddy when I find PL/Ruby and the possibility of writing stored procedures in Ruby

Like Ruby, it's the little things that impressed me. Example: having used MySQL for years and not known about the "references" syntax, I'm a little embarassed. But that's the point, Postgres got me to a better place in less time and hassle. Knowing that it's top-notch behind the scenes is icing on the cake, but right now it's more about that good feeling.

That said, I wouldn't really consider Postgres part of the logical progression. MySQL and others are equally good. There's tradeoffs, and I'm sure real db-guys could give you the lowdown.

Btw, if anyone has experience with PL/Ruby or knows where to find more information besides this page, please let me know!

  • May 16, 2005
  • Dealing with coding

There are 2 comments

  1. 2 days later, Timothy Johnson said...

    Thanks, a decent breakdown. I'm only a little familiar with stored procedures and I thought that Ruby's caching and sweepers would pretty much eliminate the need to write stored proc. for anything but the most complex of web apps.

  2. 3 days later, Ryan Carver said...

    You're right, stored procedures are probably unnecessary most of the time. This particular app deals with calculating gobs of financial data, very little of that actually makes it back to the frontend. That seems a likely candidate for processing on the database side. As of right now, I haven't implemented that part but I just wanted to make sure the possibility is there.