Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Unix) [Paperback]

Command Prompt Inc (Author), John C. Worsley (Author), Joshua D. Drake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

Arguably the most capable of all the open source databases, PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system first developed in 1977 by the University of California at Berkeley. In spite of its long history, this robust database suffers from a lack of easy-to-use documentation. Practical PostgreSQL fills that void with a fast-paced guide to installation, configuration, and usage.

This comprehensive new volume shows you how to compile PostgreSQL from source, create a database, and configure PostgreSQL to accept client-server connections. It also covers the many advanced features, such as transactions, versioning, replication, and referential integrity that enable developers and DBAs to use PostgreSQL for serious business applications. The thorough introduction to PostgreSQL's PL/pgSQL programming language explains how you can use this very useful but under-documented feature to develop stored procedures and triggers. The book includes a complete command reference, and database administrators will appreciate the chapters on user management, database maintenance, and backup & recovery. With Practical PostgreSQL, you will discover quickly why this open source database is such a great open source alternative to proprietary products from Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft. Also included is a CD-ROM with Command Prompt's PostgreSQL Application Server, LXP. The CD covers LXP version 0.8.0 and PostgreSQL version 7.1.3.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Command Prompt began in late 1997 as an Internet application development firm. Command Prompt originated as an after hours company working with PostgreSQL, Perl, and PHP. In January of 2000, Command Prompt became Command Prompt, Inc. Command Prompt currently specializes in advanced web based application development using PostgreSQL and languages such as PHP, C++, Perl, and Java. Their primary efforts have been in the development of their PostgreSQL Application Server, LXP (included with this book) and specialized development, such as e-fullfillment systems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 636 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565928466
• ISBN-13: 978-1565928466
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > Data Mining
  • #66 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > Data Warehousing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst O'Reilly book I've seen, June 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Unix) (Paperback)

O'Reilly generally does a pretty good job, but it seems like they spent very little time on this book. The "practical" examples in it are pretty useless, and you can glean just as much through a simple web search.

Just wanted to warn about one thing here:

The absolute worst part of this book is the index (which is a _very_ important part of any tech book). The one listing they have under the letter K: "keywords". What about keys? A SQL book that doesn't have an index entry for keys? There's not even any "H" listing... hashes?

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars big disappointment, February 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Unix) (Paperback)

I was hoping to finally get a good book on PostgreSQL. I guess I'll keep waiting. Want specifics? The index is entirely useless (3 pages for 600+ pages of book). Incomplete data type listing and description (at least I haven't found any discussion of the old large object handling or the bytea type yet). Good things? While easily found elsewhere (like in the included documentation for PostgreSQL), the chapters on PostgreSQL Administration are adaquate as is the chapter on postgresql clients. The advert...err..chapter on LXP is pretty much fluff, as is the command reference that takes up the last hundred or so pages, thus reducing the useful pagecount to about 450.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice for PostgreSQL intro, but not a master piece, December 9, 2004

By 

P. Hoogendijk (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Unix) (Paperback)

The book covers the basics of PostgreSQL, but it lacks usefull info for the more avanced tasks like tuning the database.

The 'stored procedure' (PL/pgSQL) chapter was for me the only interesting part of this book for me.

When I bought this I was hoping for the PostgreSQL 'Bible', but it was a big dissapointment.

My advice for improvement for the next release:

- much better index

- drop LXP chapter

- chapter about how to tune (not just SQL statements, but the postgreSQL server itself) and benchmark PostgreSQL.

- a chapter about 'schema' and when to use them.

- extend PL/pgSQL chapter with some 'real world' examples and how to do PL/pgSQL trouble shooting, PL/Perl(?)

- general advice how to manage PostgreSQL on 'day to day' basis

- maybe have a chapter about the SLONY replication add-on

- Postgresql 8.0 features