As part of the countdown to PostgresConf Silicon Valley 2023, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Meet Dave Stokes, Technology Evangelist for Percona. Dave Stokes is the author of MySQL & JSON - A Practical Programming Guide. He resides in Texas with the mandated pickup truck, hound dog, and guitars.

Read what Dave has to say about Postgres and why to attend his sessions which include "MERGE() - A Quick Introduction" and "PostgreSQL High Availability: The Considerations and the Candidates."

Why Postgres? Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community. (How long have you been involved? How have you contributed? How else would you want to contribute?)

I have been mainly involved in the MySQL Community for a long time but am now exploring PostgreSQL. I have started a series on PostgreSQL for MySQL DBAs that is very popular

What new features of PostgreSQL 15 are you most excited about?

Merge()!

What features do you believe should be developed/improved and released in the next major upgrade?

JSON_TABLE()!! Please, please, pretty please!!

Why should attendees come to your talk at Postgres Conference Silicon Valley 2023? What would you like for them to take away from your session?

From the Merge() talk, I hope they will go away understanding how transaction log processing works. For the HA talk, I do not expect them to walk away as they will be so filled with brain energy that they sort of levitate away!

What is your favorite aspect of Postgres Conference?

The people.

What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres and other open source technologies?

Open source !- free. It provides a flexibility to innovate.

What's your top suggested readings for 2023?

Anything by Tim Dorsey.

What do you believe are the major achievements of open source and Postgres over the last decade?

Open-source software has proven that good code comes from more than just semi-benevolent corporations. And PostgreSQL has proven the power of the mailing list!

Check out the full schedule for Postgres Conference Silicon Valley 2023, and buy your tickets soon!

We are pleased to announce a partnership between Redgate and PgCentral Foundation, Inc., to return Postgres Conference to Seattle! We’ll be joining forces in their brand-new venue -- the Summit at the Seattle Convention Centre (SCC) -- during this year’s PASS Data Community Summit (PASS Summit).

The PASS Summit team has been working to create a more collaborative environment between professional data communities. The new venue for 2024 allows the perfect opportunity to host our People, Postgres, Data community for the Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 on November 6 and 7.

About PASS Summit

The PASS Summit has earned its reputation as the premier event for data security and database professionals. Since Redgate took ownership in 2021, the event has continued to offer unmatched learning opportunities, covering a wide range of data platforms including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, AWS, Google Cloud, and more. This year’s summit will take place in Seattle, from November 4-8, 2024, welcoming thousands of attendees eager to sharpen their skills and stay on the cutting edge of data management.

PASS Summit is not just about lectures and sessions –  it offers hands-on learning experiences, a vibrant community space, and networking opportunities with industry leaders. The event is known for its comprehensive sessions, keynotes by industry experts, and access to the latest tools and technologies that empower organizations to manage their data effectively. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, there’s something for everyone.

For more details about the summit, visit the official website: PASS Data Community Summit 2024

Highlights from Postgres Conference Seattle 2024

Alongside PASS Summit, Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 will also be taking place, making Seattle the hub of data learning in early November. Postgres Conference is the leading event dedicated to Postgres, an open-source database that has become essential for many modern organizations. This year’s event is powered by the joint efforts of Redgate and Command Prompt, Inc., and is priced at an affordable $599 through November 3rd.*

PostgresConf Seattle attendees will get exclusive access to certain elements of the PASS Data Community Summit, such as:

- PASS Summit Keynotes: Hear from influential figures shaping the future of data.

- PASS Ecosystem Sessions: Deep dives into data platforms and security.

- Community Zone: A space to collaborate with other professionals and expand your network.

- Exhibit Hall and Exhibitor Reception: Discover the latest tools and technologies from industry-leading vendors.

- Lunches, Refreshment Breaks, and Community Events: Plenty of opportunities to refuel and connect with peers.

This integration gives PostgreSQL enthusiasts a chance to engage in the broader data conversation while still enjoying tailored Postgres content.

Check out the event page here for more information on Postgres Conference Seattle 2024.

* Note: Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 online registration closes November 3rd.  On-site registration will require the purchase of a PASS24 1-Day or 3-Day ticket, so don't delay!

The month of January is just about over and we are coming up on the end of our Early Bird registration window for PostgresConf US 2018, which takes place in Jersey City, New Jersey from April 16th to April 20st at The Westin Jersey City Newport.

You have until tomorrow to purchase your tickets for $200 off for the largest PostgreSQL conference in the world. Early Bird tickets are on sale here through January 31.

We are excited to announce that we received over 170 proposals for PostgresConf US 2018, with an impressive range of high quality content and speakers. On April 16th and 17th, we are pleased to offer a choice of 15 different training sessions so you are sure to have the chance to dig deep into a topic that interests you. Some of our training classes are:

• Mastering PostgreSQL Administration
• Tutorial on Modern PostgreSQL High Availability
• Deep Dive into PostgreSQL Authentication Methods
• Digging into Advanced SQL
• The postgresql.conf from A-Z: Includes Postgres Performance and Maintenance

For a complete list, check out the events page for all of our training classes. 

Also during PostgresConf, you will also have an opportunity to meet our great sponsors, including:

• Diamond: Amazon Web Services, Pivotal
• Platinum: Compose, OpenSCG, 2ndQuadrant, Microsoft
• Gold: Cybertec, JetBrains, Citus Data, EnterpriseDB, Linode, Timescale, Cockroach Labs

At the Westin Jersey City Newport, we have negotiated a discounted conference room rate of $260/night + applicable taxes for attendees. Be sure to book prior to March 26, 2018 - the conference rate is not guaranteed after this date. Rooms may be booked via our dedicated Westin booking page, or via telephone (888) 627-7148. If booking via telephone please mention "PostgresConf US 2018" to receive the group rate.

For more information, please visit the PostgresConf US 2018 website. 

Stay tuned for our presentation and breakout sessions announcement. We look forward to seeing you in April!

P.S. Looking for a discount code? Check your local Postgres User Group mailing list.

Call for Speakers: Join Us at Postgres Conference Seattle 2024!

We are excited to announce that the Postgres Conference Seattle 2024 is accepting speaker submissions! This is your chance to share your knowledge, insights, and experiences with the global PostgreSQL community in one of the world’s most innovative tech hubs. Whether you're a seasoned PostgreSQL expert or have unique insights on emerging trends, this is the perfect stage to amplify your voice and make an impact.

Why Speak at Postgres Conference: Seattle

As the largest PostgreSQL gathering in the U.S., Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 brings together users, developers, DBAs, and thought leaders from diverse industries including FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, and more! Here’s why you should consider submitting a proposal:

1. Expand Your Reach: Presenting at the conference will allow you to connect with hundreds of like-minded professionals, influencers, and companies shaping the future of data management.
2. Share Your Expertise: Whether you're a PostgreSQL guru or a curious learner with unique insights, your contribution can help others grow in their own Postgres journey.
3. Professional Recognition: Gain visibility and recognition within the Postgres community and broader tech industry. Being a speaker enhances your profile and can open doors for future collaborations, partnerships, or even job opportunities.
4. Contribute to the PostgreSQL Ecosystem: PostgreSQL continues to evolve rapidly. By sharing your experiences, you contribute to the collective growth and innovation of this incredible open-source database system.

Tracks for Every Interest

We’re looking for speakers across various areas of expertise. If you work in development, operations, or the essential aspects of PostgreSQL usage, we want to hear from you! Here’s a quick overview of our three main tracks:

Development (Dev) Track

Do you have cutting-edge insights on PostgreSQL development? This track is for talks focused on building, optimizing, and scaling applications using PostgreSQL. Some of the topics you could cover include:

• Query optimization and performance tuning
• Building and deploying PostgreSQL-based applications
• Best practices in database schema design
• Case studies of innovative solutions using PostgreSQL

Whether you're diving into PL/pgSQL, extending Postgres with custom functions, or exploring advanced indexing techniques, this is the perfect platform to share your expertise with fellow developers.

Operations (Ops) Track

If you’re working behind the scenes, ensuring that PostgreSQL environments are secure, scalable, and high-performing, the Ops track is for you. This track seeks submissions from database administrators, SREs, DevOps engineers, and anyone involved in the operational side of PostgreSQL, such as:

• Scaling PostgreSQL for high-traffic applications
• Backup and recovery strategies
• Monitoring and observability tools
• Managing multi-region or cloud-based Postgres instances

Share your experience on how to keep PostgreSQL running smoothly, even under the most demanding conditions.

Essentials Track

The Essentials track is perfect for those who want to speak about the core foundational aspects of PostgreSQL. It’s an ideal opportunity to present content geared toward people who are new to PostgreSQL or seeking to deepen their understanding of its key concepts. Suggested topics might include:

• Introduction to PostgreSQL for beginners
• SQL best practices and optimization
• Setting up a robust PostgreSQL environment
• Security fundamentals for database management

This track encourages first-time speakers and practitioners who want to help others navigate the essentials of working with PostgreSQL.

How to Submit Your Proposal

Submitting a proposal is easy! Simply prepare an abstract that describes your talk, its relevance to the conference tracks, and what attendees will take away from it. We encourage submissions from individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience. Diversity of thought and experience enriches the conversation, and we welcome fresh perspectives.

Create a user account and submit your abstract, title, and description for review consideration.

Take this opportunity to shine as a thought leader in the Postgres world. Share your journey, inspire innovation, and connect with a vibrant community that’s as passionate about Postgres as you are. Submit your proposal today and join us in Seattle for an unforgettable experience!

Important Dates:

Submission Deadline: Monday, September 30th, midnight Pacific Time/ 3 am ET

Event Dates: November 6 - 7, 2024

Ready to Submit?

To submit your proposal and find more details, head to our submission page. Questions can be directed to organizers@postgresconf.org. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

We can’t wait to hear from you. Let’s shape the future of Postgres together!

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Hubert Zhang will co-present with Jack Wu at PostgresConf US 2018 on "Customize and Secure the Runtime and Dependencies of Your Procedural Languages using PL/Container." Hubert is a staff software engineer at Pivotal. He received his Master Degree at Peking University, with a major in artificial intelligence. He is most interested in database systems and distributed computing platform.

Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community. (How long have you been involved? How have you contributed? How else would you want to contribute?)

I've been working on Postgres based MPP database Greenplum and HAWQ since 2014. I contributed on PLContainer in Greenplum, data locality, and Ranger module of HAWQ (a SQL-On-Hadoop system).

What features should be developed/improved and released in the next major upgrade?

Vectorize execution for OLAP queries.

Who should attend your talk at PostgresConf US 2018? What would you like for them to take away from your session?

Data scientists and anyone who want to use Python and R in database to do data analysis and machine learning. You'll learn how to use PLContainer as well as how to build a customized docker image to setup your specialized Python or R environment.

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2018, and buy your tickets soon!

As part of the countdown to Postgres Conference 2024, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Relevant Logic President/CEO Guyren Howe is a web developer, trainer, database expert, technical writer, and more specializing in PostgreSQL, Flutter, and Rails. Guyren will present “Postgres’s Type System” at Postgres Conference 2024. Read what Guyren has to say about Postgres and why to attend his session:

Why should attendees come to your talk at Postgres Conference 2024?

What would you like for them to take away from your session? Learn the important details of Postgres's type system: the built-in types, extension types, domains, arrays and custom types.

What is your favorite aspect of Postgres Conference?

My talk :)

What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres and other open source technologies?

Follow the pgsql-general list. Learn relational theory. Don't listen to the database haters.

How do you see the use of open source technologies evolving over the next five years?

I foresee an open source boom as AI technologies can work with open source much better than closed.

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2024. Learn more about our conference here and buy your tickets soon!

As part of the countdown to Postgres Conference 2024, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Robert Bernier is senior PostgreSQL consultant at Percona.

Robert will present Working With The Citus Extension. Read what Robert has to say about Postgres and why to attend their session:

Why should attendees come to your talk at Postgres Conference 2024? What would you like for them to take away from your session?
For people who have heard about Citus but know nothing about it.
What is your favorite aspect of Postgres Conference?
Meeting my peers
What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres and other open source technologies?
Data eats the world. Focus on learning about your data and how it's used.
How do you see the use of open source technologies evolving over the next five years?
PostgreSQL is a General Purpose Management System. It will come to dominate the DBMS world.
What considerations should be taken for the adoption and use of Postgres and related open source technologies?
Three talents:
- know your SQL
- know your OS (linux)
- know a programming language

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2024. Learn more about our conference here and buy your tickets soon!

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As part of the countdown to Postgres Conference 2024 learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

NEXTGRES founder Jonah Harris is a developer with expertise in database internals, high-performance systems, and near-real-time machine learning optimizations. Recognized for contributions to Oracle Database and PostgreSQL, with leadership roles at MariaDB, The Meet Group, and EnterpriseDB.

Jonah Harris will present The Future of MySQL is Postgres.  Read what Jonah has to say about Postgres and why to attend their session:

Why should attendees come to your talk at Postgres Conference 2024?  What would you like for them to take away from your session?

Attendees will leave this session understanding how PostgreSQL offers superior performance, reliability, and a richer set of features for modern application development over MySQL, and how this extension simplifies and accelerates the migration process, ensuring transparent compatibility. 

What is your favorite aspect of Postgres Conference?

My favorite aspect of Postgres conferences is the collaborative spirit, where developers, administrators, and enthusiasts come together to share their knowledge and solve real-world challenges.

What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres and other open source technologies?

I advise diving into hands-on projects and contributing to the OSS communities with an open mind; this offers invaluable experience and broad networking opportunities within open source communities, specifically PostgreSQL.

How do you see the use of open source technologies evolving over the next five years?

I see open source technologies becoming even more integral to innovation, driving collaboration and accessibility in emerging fields as well as traditional industries.

What considerations should be taken for the adoption and use of Postgres and related open source technologies? 

I always consider matching a technology's strengths to a project's needs. Whether it's Postgres or another OSS technology, evaluate it for its full capabilities and best fit first. Once those capabilities and fit are evaluated, assess the organization's ability to manage it.

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2024. Learn more about our conference here and buy your tickets soon!

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Elizabeth Zalman is the Co-founder & CEO of strongDM, the definitive data security product. Previously she was Co-Founder and CEO of the cross-device profile company Media Armor.

Liz will be presenting a breakout session "Do You Know Your Vendor Dependencies" on Wednesday, April 18, at 4 pm. Read what she has to say about Postgres and why to attend her session: 

Why PostgreSQL? What got you into it, and made you stick with it?

Featureful performance & proven reliability. Over the years I've found fewer and fewer reasons to consider alternatives beyond Postgres (two notable exceptions being redis-style KV and queues).

Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community.

strongDM hears a lot about how its customers use PG and its derivatives (Greenplum, the latest on Aurora, etc.) and we love sharing tips when appropriate.

What new features of PostgreSQL 10 are you most excited about?

As a security product, we're always happy to see security-related upgrades: SASL/SCRAM authentication is a popular option in several of database systems, and is a significant upgrade over the previous salted hashes. We also rely heavily on partitioning, so all related enhancements are welcome.Finally: although we generally wouldn't choose to run parallel queries in a primarily OLTP system, the promise of running analytic queries on a replica (rather than ETL'ing into an analytic database) is very appealing.

What features should be developed/improved and released in the next major upgrade?

Dynamic optimization for queries on partitioned tables. Right now if you run select * from date_partitioned_table where event_timestamp between NOW() and NOW() - interval '7 days'; It scans every partition because the result of NOW() is not knowable ahead of time. But it could optimize that query when it was asked to execute it. Instead of creating a static query plan it could say, I know I'm going to have to compute a list of partitions. So, let's just remember that. Then right before the query runs, it could calculate the list and run the query as though it had been planned with a static date range, and thus only query the affected tables. 

 Why should attendees come to your talk at PostgresConf US 2018?

In this talk, I'll share practical examples of breaches I've personally experienced along with advice on how to hold your vendors accountable, and hopefully make the topic of security a little less intimidating in the process.

What sessions are you most excited about attending at PostgresConf US 2018?

I am looking forward to attending “Reducing the Surface Area of Risk in Data Security” by Tim Gorman and “General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with Azure Database for PostgreSQL” by Mark Bolz.

What is your favorite aspect of PostgresConf US?

Being able to network with and learn from a unique community! I’ve found practice to really be one of the best ways to learn about databases.

 What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres? 

 I’ve found practice to really be one of the best ways to learn about databases. Get your hands dirty: try breaking things and then fixing them! 

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2018, and buy your tickets soon!

Pavan Deolasse is a PostgreSQL consultant for 2ndQuadrant, one of our Platinum Sponsors for PostgresConf US 2018. Learn more about Pavan in this Community Profile:

Pavan Deolasee is a contributor to the development of PostgreSQL and related technologies. He holds a Masters of Technology in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and has several publications to his credit.

Pavan was introduced to PostgreSQL in the year 2006 when he started working for a PostgreSQL company. Hacking PostgreSQL was a completely new experience, but by accepting help from the community -- especially Simon Riggs, his mentor -- he began working through the code and was soon working on a very important project (Heap-Only-Tuple aka HOT). It was a very complicated piece of work, yet one of the landmark features in PostgreSQL and to this day remains one of his most important contributions to the project. Pavan has since contributed several patches to PostgreSQL. 

HOT was committed to PostgreSQL in 2008 and Pavan has continued to stay fully engaged with the project. In 2009/2010, alongside other colleagues, Pavan started work on Postgres-XC, a distributed, shared-nothing, clustering solution based on PostgreSQL. He was involved in designing the high-level architecture of the solution, and later wrote many important pieces of the code such as the GTM, the GTM Proxy, the 2PC transaction controller at the coordinator, changes required to guarantee global consistency of the data, and many distributed planner and executor pieces.

When Postgres-XL, a fork of Postgres-XC, was released to the public in 2014, Pavan once again became involved with the project and has been leading the development of Postgres-XL ever since. 

Pavan joined 2ndQuadrant not long after in April 2015, and once again started working with long time colleagues and friends; he and 2ndQuadrant have continued to actively work on the development of Postgres-XL. The focus area of development has been stability and performance of the product while keeping the fork as close to open source PostgreSQL as possible. The most recent release (Postgres-XL 10) supports intra-datanode query parallelism, thus taking distributed query processing to the next level.

In 2013, Pavan and two of his colleagues started the India PostgreSQL User Group. They started conducting small meet-ups, in order to promote the technology in India and bring the local community together. These small gatherings have now expanded with a membership of over 600 members, and into a full scale conference: PGConf India, Asia's largest PostgreSQL conference with more than 250 people in attendance each day in 2018. 

As part of the 2ndQuadrant team of PostgreSQL developers, Pavan continues to work on many interesting new features. He is an active part of the production support team and also has the opportunity to investigate interesting customer problems, often leading to important and critical bug fixes to the open source project.

Pavan had this to say about his involvement with the project:

“I love PostgreSQL and the PostgreSQL community, so you will continue to see me around.”