Posts tagged “Community”

Welcome to "Cultivating DEI" , a series in which Postgres community members share their insight and experience about creating a more diverse and inclusive Postgres environment where all are welcome.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about relationships between the PostgreSQL community and the Database research community. To put it bluntly – these two communities do not talk to each other!

There are many reasons why I am concerned about this situation. First, I consider myself belonging to both of these communities. Even if right now I am 90% in industry, I can't write off my academic past. Writing a scientific paper with the hope of being accepted to the real database conference is something which appeals to me.

Secondly, we want to have quality candidates for database positions. Anyone who has tried recently to fill these positions knows that this is not an easy task. If you are looking at recent college grads, there are almost no chances that you can find somebody who has PostgreSQL experience. Here is where we face the other side of the problem.

The problem is not simply that scientists do not speak at the PostgreSQL conferences, and that PostgreSQL developers do not speak at academic conferences. The larger issue is that for many Computer Sciences (CS) students, their academic research and practical experience do not intersect. They learn about some incredible algorithms, and as part of their coursework they may suggest some enhancements to existing algorithms. They then practice their SQL skills with MySQL, which from my observations lacks so many basic features, that it can hardly be taken seriously as a data platform.

If students practiced using PostgreSQL, they would have a full-scale enterprise ready object-relational database -- not a "light" version, but a robust platform, which supports a multitude of index and data types, constraints, procedural languages and much more.

I've heard from several professors that "MySQL is okay for "learning SQL." I want to ask -- what does "learning SQL" mean? Is it just learning how to write a syntactically correct SQL? One contributing factor to the problem is that MySQL comes on each laptop by default, integrated with basic tools that allow building websites. It is integrated with Wordpress. There is no reason for PostgreSQL not to have similar support, but it is not in place.

This is particularly frustrating when you recognize the amount of database research was completed using Postgres, for Postgres or with help of Postgres; R-Tree and GIST indexes, for example. Also, the SIGMOD Test of Time Award in 2018 went to the paper "Serializable isolation for snapshot databases," which was implemented in PostgreSQL.

I know the answer to the question "why do they not talk?" Researchers do not want to talk at the PostgreSQL conferences, because those are not scientific conferences, and participation in these conferences will not result in a publication. Postgres developers do not present at the CS conferences, because they do not want to write long papers. Even if they do submit something, their papers are often rejected as "not having any scientific value." I have experienced this on multiple occasions.

I came across another example of "why” when I attended the ACM/SIGMOD conference in Amsterdam. I attended a compelling presentation on the problem of cardinality estimation over multi-join queries, that introduced new optimization techniques. The presenter mentioned that he had used Postgres to build the prototype. I was too far back in the room to ask my question, so I reached out via the conference website.

I asked the presenter why he didn't submit a patch. He replied that their approach was hacky, and it needs more work to think about adding it to Postgres. I've asked whether he would be interested in working on it with some PostgreSQL community members. His reply? "Not in the next two years, I've just received a post-doc position at Microsoft, so I can't do it for the next two years."

So yes -- I know the answer as to why these two communities historically do not communicate. However, I do not like or accept it. Perhaps we can talk about and resolve this problem together?!

Contributor Bio:

Henrietta Dombrovskaya is a database researcher and developer with over 30 years of academic and industrial experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Saint Petersburg, Russia. She taught Database and Transaction theory at the University of Saint – Petersburg (Russia), as well as multiple database tuning classes for both beginners and advanced professionals.

Her professional experience includes consulting for a number of government projects in Chicago and New York, and providing Data services in the financial sector, manufacturing, and distribution. She is a co-author, with B. Novikov, of the book “System Tuning”, BHV, S.-Petersburg, Russia. Her researches in overcoming object-relational impedance mismatch were publish in the Proceedings of EDBT 2014 Athens and ICDE 2016 in Helsinki. At Braviant Holdings she is happy to have an opportunity to implement the results of her research in practice.

Henrietta Dombrovskaya is a co-organizer of the Chicago PostgreSQL User Group and a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work Group for the Postgres Conference Series. She was recently awarded the 2019 "Technologist of the Year" award by the Illinois Technology Association. This award is  "presented to the individual whose talent has championed true innovation, either through new applications of existing technology or the development of technology to achieve a truly unique product or service."

 

In support of our theme of "People, Postgres, Data", the Postgres Conference 2019 hosts its 3rd Annual Talent Exchange & Career Fair on Friday, March 22, from 11am - 2pm, in the Metropolitan Ballroom at the Sheraton New York Times Square. Featuring hiring managers and recruiters from several of our Postgres Conference sponsor companies, this event is free for job seekers and open to the public.

Companies represented include:

  • 2nd Quadrant
  • Amazon
  • Credativ
  • Cybertec
  • DataDog
  • DBeaver
  • Google
  • HighGo
  • Microsoft
  • Percona
  • Pivotal
  • TimeScaleDB (440 Labs)

With PostgreSQL winning the title of DBMS of the Year for the second year in a row from DB-Engines, talent with PostgreSQL related skills is in high demand. The Career Fair brings together employers and candidates in one of the hottest career options available today -- Postgres developers and DBAs -- as well as Solution Engineers, Customer Success Managers, Developer Advocates, Global Migration Practice Consultant, and many more!

We will also have Postgres professionals of varied backgrounds volunteering as career mentors from 11 am - 1:30 pm. Be sure to bring copies of your resume to share with employers and for feedback from our mentors.

New for this year -- Stop by the Postgres Conference 2019 Photo Booth on Friday between 11 am – 1pm for a free professional headshot! A professional image can often be a first impression for a hiring manager or recruiter and help you stand out amongst other job applicants.

Looking to increase your Postgres related knowledge and skills? Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2019, and buy your tickets soon!

2ndQuadrant Sponsor Highlight Blog for PostgresConf 2019

 As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2019, learn more about about featured Platinum Sponsor 2ndQuadrant, including their commitment to partnering with and contributing to the Postgres community.

 

Tell us about the recent uptick in Oracle to Postgres migrations.

Licensing costs of Oracle is a significant factor for businesses looking to migrate towards PostgreSQL. Not only is PostgreSQL a more cost effective solution, but it provides enterprise-level capabilities and customization options. The increasing demand for migration services from Oracle to PostgreSQL can also be attributed to the availability of PostgreSQL in the cloud.

 

Where do you see the Postgres market going?

PostgreSQL has been gaining traction with every release; interest and usage by large enterprises worldwide is growing exponentially due to the robust capabilities it provides. 2ndQuadrant intends to continue their active contributions in development and supports the overall growth of PostgreSQL.

 

 Do you have any big wins this year?

2Q PGConf 2018 had a successful second year bringing together PostgreSQL developers and users. Both speakers and attendees enjoyed the combination of technical and use case topics as well as the diverse range of networking opportunities. 

Sri Rangarajan, Lead Software Engineer at Enova International, commented saying he appreciates 2ndQuadrant’s hard work in “promoting and fostering a savvy, healthy and helpful community to welcome newcomers just like [it] did for [him] 5 years ago!”

For the second year in a row, PostgreSQL has been named DBMS of the Year by DB-Engines. This shows that developers and users alike are acknowledging the robust and versatile capabilities that it has to offer.

 

What is the number one benefit you see within Postgres that everyone should be aware of?

PostgreSQL's advanced features cater to a broad range of use cases all within the same DBMS. Rather than going for edge case solutions, developers are relying on the absolute reliability of the hyperconverged database to simplify their production deployments.

 

What is the best thing about working with the Postgres community?

The Postgres community is one of the easiest global communities to work with. There is an open mindset all around and a common goal of growing the Postgres ecosystem as a whole. 

 

Tell us why you believe people should attend PostgresConf 2019 in March.

Conferences are a great way for people in the PostgreSQL community to come together and share knowledge and ideas, which is the true spirit of open source. It is very exciting to see into the future developments of the project from the people who contribute so much to its growth.

It is a great way for members of the community to come together in person to share knowledge in different areas of the technology, describe practical use cases, and give sneak previews into cutting edge technologies for future versions of PostgreSQL.

 

About 2ndQuadrant:

2ndQuadrant provides PostgreSQL Solutions for the Enterprise - reliably deploying them on the platform of your choice and providing 24/7 Production Support. Our solutions address all aspects of your database ecosystem, ensuring high availability, disaster recovery, backup & failover management, and much more. 

Moreover, we provide tools to make your deployment process simple and reliable. With over 100 years of combined code contributions to the PostgreSQL project, our engineers ensure that your PostgreSQL solutions are fully supported in your production environment.

Visit the 2ndQuadrant team in the Exhibit Hall in the Metropolitan Ballroom on Wednesday, March 20, and Thursday, March 21.  

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2019, 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.

Abbas Butt is a Software Architect at EnterpriseDB, and he will present a half-day training "Deep dive into PostgreSQL Authentication Methods" on Monday, April 16, at 1 pm. Learn more about Abbas and his involvement in the Postgres community:

Why PostgreSQL?

My company's business revolves around PostgreSQL.

Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community.

I have been involved with PostgreSQL for about 10 years. Over the years I have contributed by reporting bugs and developing various FDWs. I have also worked to make PostgreSQL an XA complaint database by using a modified version of pgBouncer. My next plans are to come up with small programming exercises with solutions to accompany this book http://www.interdb.jp/pg/ ("The Internals of PostgreSQL for database administrators and system developers"  by Hironobu Suzuki). This will give the readers hands on experience.

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

Declarative table partitioning & query parallelism

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

Write Scalability and High Availability

Why should attendees come to your talk at PostgresConf US 2018? What would you like for them to take away from your session?

Attendees should come to have great time learning about PostgreSQL authentication methods. After attending the session the attendees will be better placed to decide which authentication scheme should they use and why.

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

"Aurora PostgreSQL Tutorial and Extended Deep Dive" and "Know your meme: Develop a webapp using Google Cloud Kubernetes and Cloud SQL"

What is your favorite aspect of PostgresConf US?

Being able to listen and exchange point of views with other community members.

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

Read this book : "The Internals of PostgreSQL for database administrators and system developers"  by Hironobu Suzuki.

 

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

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about our Diamond and Platinum sponsors for this year in our Sponsor Spotlight Series.

Heikki Linnakangas is the Senior Principal Software Engineer at Pivotal, one of our Diamond Sponsors for PostgresConf US 2018 and host of the Greenplum Summit. Read what Heikki has to say about Pivotal, Greenplum and Postgres:

As a PostgreSQL committer, how does that influence your work with Greenplum?

We have worked hard on merging more recent PostgreSQL versions into Greenplum in the last couple of years, and reached PostgreSQL 8.4 recently. PostgreSQL 8.4 was first released back in 2008, which is the same year I became a committer in the PostgreSQL project. It was a real blast from the past, to see those first commits of my own flow into the Greenplum repository!

It's a healthy reminder that whatever shortcuts you might be tempted to take, they will come back to haunt you! Fortunately, my fellow PostgreSQL committers are hawk-eyed, and the PostgreSQL commit history is very clean and pleasant to work with.

Do you foresee more collaboration between PostgreSQL and Greenplum in the future?

Yes! As we continue to catch up Greenplum with more recent PostgreSQL versions, the friction of collaboration gets smaller and smaller. In the last couple of years, PostgreSQL has gotten a lot of the basic infrastructure that Greenplum relies on for data distribution, like partitioning and parallelism. That reduces the manpower needed in Greenplum to maintain those features as addons, and frees up developers to work on other things.

As we plan for new Greenplum features, we always try to design them in a way that works well with PostgreSQL, and if applicable, develop them in the PostgreSQL community first. That benefits the PostgreSQL community, by having the features, and it benefits Greenplum, by getting more eyes on the code earlier, which improves code quality.

Are there things that you feel that PostgreSQL can learn from Greenplum? What about Greenplum from PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL can learn a lot from the features that are in Greenplum, but not yet in PostgreSQL. Usually, the code is not directly applicable, and Greenplum might have made different tradeoffs than the PostgreSQL community wants. But it is nevertheless very useful to look at existing implementations for inspiration, and to learn from the mistakes.

Pivotal has a well-established process for making minor Greenplum releases, emergency bug fixes and such. But between Greenplum 4, and Greenplum 5, the first open source version of Greenplum, there was a long gap. With Greenplum 5, we had to re-learn how to make a major release. PostgreSQL, on the other hand, has maintained a very stable and predictable release process for over 15 years, with roughly annual major version releases, and a 5 year support period for each major version. We are trying to get to a similar stable, predictable, schedule with Greenplum as well.

What challenges have you faced as you continue to push Greenplum toward code parity with PostgreSQL?

At first, we spent a lot of time on just cleaning up the Greenplum codebase. Throughout the PostgreSQL 8.3 merge, which was the first major version upgrade we went through, we ironed out tons of trivial differences between the PostgreSQL and Greenplum code that had crept up over the years. Small changes in whitespace, comments, variable names, and such. Most were well-intended, and made sense on their own, but they hindered the merge.

We're mostly done with that kind of cleanup, and we now have an established process for merging a major PostgreSQL version. But each version has its own challenges. With the PostgreSQL 8.4 merge, for example, PostgreSQL got window functions, and we had to reconcile the existing Greenplum implementation, with the implementation we were getting from PostgreSQL.

With the on-going PostgreSQL 9.1 merge, we will get Foreign Data Wrappers into Greenplum. We will have to decide what it means to have a foreign table in an MPP context. Do you run the foreign table only in the master node? That's straightforward, but you will get no MPP benefits. Or do you have each data segment fetch their own slice of the foreign data? That requires extending Foreign Data Wrapper API, and we need to do that in a way that's compatible with the whole ecosystem of existing PostgreSQL data wrappers.

Mason Sharp, from Maputo Data, is actually giving a presentation on how Postgres-XL and Postgres-XC are distributing Foreign Data Wrappers. I'll be there! This is a great opportunity to work together on a common API, so that the same FDW extension will work consistently with PostgreSQL, as well as all the forks like Postgres-XL and Greenplum.

Are there any specific goals you would like to highlight for collaboration with both communities over the next year?

Developers from EnterpriseDB announced plans to work on a new heap format called "zheap", for PostgreSQL v12. It would address many of the problems with "vacuuming" large tables. Vacuuming is cumbersome, when you scale up to hundreds of terabytes of data or more. Greenplum has largely solved that problem with a custom storage format called Append-Optimized Tables. But we would prefer to not maintain a custom storage format, we'd rather focus on making Greenplum better on MPP things, like parallelizing queries across a cluster. So we will be looking closely at the development of zheap, and want to help.

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

I'm looking forward to hear stories from Greenplum customers, how they use the product, what problems they have. I don't speak enough to users! It's easy to lose sight of what day-to-day problems DBAs and application developers face.

I'm also excited about the career fair on Friday. I'm hoping to meet many new colleagues and future PostgreSQL developers there!

What is your favorite aspect of PostgresConf US?

It's my first time, so we'll see! :-) I go to many PostgreSQL developer-oriented conferences, to meet developer colleagues, and talk about upcoming features and engineering issues. In this conference, I'm hoping to hear more from DBAs and users.

Any final thoughts?

If you want to hear more war stories on Greenplum or PostgreSQL development, or have a weird PostgreSQL issue you want to show, or just want to say "hi!", come speak to me! You'll find me loitering around the halls.

 About Pivotal:

Pivotal drives software innovation for many of the world’s most admired brands. With millions of users in communities around the world, Pivotal technology touches billions of users every day.

Pivotal is the maker of Pivotal Greenplum, the world’s first fully-featured, multi-cloud, massively parallel processing (MPP) data analytics platform based on the open source Greenplum Database and Postgres. Pivotal Greenplum provides comprehensive and integrated analytics on multi-structured data. Powered by the world’s most advanced cost-based query optimizer, Pivotal Greenplum delivers unmatched analytical query performance on massive volumes of data.

PostgreSQL is the best open source operational (OLTP) database on the planet, but many PostgreSQL users are forced to work with proprietary analytical databases (e.g. Oracle or Teradata) for their data warehousing and big data workloads. Greenplum Database offers a proven path of migration from expensive and proprietary alternatives to the Postgres ecosystem.

Pivotal at PostgresConf US:

Heikki will be presenting "Greenplum Overview for Postgres Hackers" on Wednesday, April 18, at 10:30 am. Check out all the Greenplum Summit and related content. Stop by and visit the Pivotal team in the Exhibit Hall on Wednesday, April 18, and Thursday, April 19, in the Newport Ballroom, as well as at the Talent Exchange & Career Fair on Friday, April 20, from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm in the Newport Foyer on the 3rd floor.

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

 

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about about featured Platinum Sponsor 2ndQuadrant, including their commitment to partnering with and contributing to the Postgres community, from Simon Riggs, Chief Technology Officer, of 2ndQuadrant and PostgreSQL Major Developer/Committer:

 

Tell us about your commitment to the PostgreSQL Community.

The 2ndQuadrant vision is to be the bridge between the database needs of enterprise users and open source contributions to PostgreSQL. We have pursued a joint strategy of providing both working code (available now) and later submitting the features into core PostgreSQL. Over the past 15+ years, our team has widely contributed to the growth and development of the PostgreSQL project; partnering with customers to identify bottlenecks and then contribute towards enterprise features that address them in PostgreSQL, benefiting everyone that uses it. Besides contributing code, all members of the 2ndQuadrant team are very active in the community on an individual and local level, often helping to organize PUG events, conferences, and meetups.

Are there any rising stars in the community you’d like to give props to? 

Marco Nenciarini - located in Prato, Italy - has been a long time supporter and contributor of PostgreSQL. He is an active maintainer of PGDG’s APT repository, maintaining builds and binaries for PostgreSQL and associated tools & extensions, while contributing towards process improvement for sane builds. Marco is the lead developer for Barman, a backup manager and disaster recovery tool for enterprises with high business continuity requirements.  He is the current president of IT.PUG in Italy and a part of the organizing committee for PGDay.IT.

What features would you like to see in v11 and v12?

As PostgreSQL matures, so do the features that come with each release. In the next two release we’re most looking forward to improved Partitioning performance, the implementation of the MERGE SQL command, and procedures that allow server-side transactions.

Are there any features in development from 2ndQuadrant that the community should be looking forward to?

2ndQuadrant is working hard on the development of Bi-Directional Replication (BDR3), containing new architectural features and a wide and deep set of features.

In addition, we continuously work on features for scalability, performance, security and robustness.

What is the number one barrier you see to contributing to the Postgres community?

The Postgres community is one of the easiest communities to become a part of. With an open mindset all around and a common goal of growing open source PostgreSQL, the community is very accepting to anyone looking to learn, contribute, and better the Postgres ecosystem as a whole. Between the helpful tools on postgresql.org and the growing community, comprised of seasoned veterans and fresh faces, there is always helpful information to guide you.

What is the best thing about working with the Postgres community?

PostgreSQL is the most popular database when it comes to new adoption. Even existing users of other databases are flocking towards PostgreSQL - and it’s not just to save money. PostgreSQL has been growing year on year and we’re attracting interest from the largest enterprises, as it is fully capable of securely supporting enterprise database systems. 

There is still competition out there, especially with the current fad of developer-focused NoSQL databases. But the community is big enough and strong enough to quickly adapt to changing times and push forwards. The members of the PostgreSQL community are passionate about their work and the growth of the project.

Tell us why you believe people should attend PostgresConf 2018 in April.

Community conferences expand your knowledge in different areas of the technology, describe practical use cases as well as give sneak previews into cutting edge technologies for future versions of PostgreSQL. 

Simon along with Tom Kincaid, General Manager of 2ndQuadrant, presents "Internet of Things with PostgreSQL - Performance & Security" on Friday, April 20, at 8:50 am. Tom also presents "Postgres -- Past, Present and Future" and will discuss the challenges that may be faced by Postgres in the next 5 years on Thursday, April 19, at 3:20 pm. 

Visit the 2ndQuadrant team in the Exhibit Hall in the Newport Grand Ballroom on Wednesday, April 18, and Thursday, April 19.  

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

PostgresConf US 2018 is in 9 days. Here is the obligatory "Buy your tickets" reminder! If you look around (a Google search of Gold sponsor Google Cloud is a good place to start) you will find a lot of discount codes.

In 2017 we launched a community wide effort to better recognize contributors for not only the conference but the wider Postgres Community. We continued this effort in 2018 and are pleased to have many speaker profiles available, with more being published every day:

As one of the Chairs of PostgresConf, I am honored by the resounding support from sponsors, speakers, and volunteers to help create a fantastic event for all attendees. It has been a pleasure working toward the common goal of creating a global, non-profit, Postgres Conference series.
 
 
 
 

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about about featured Platinum Sponsor Microsoft, including their commitment to partnering with and contributing to the Postgres community:

 

You are newer in the Postgres community. Tell us how you contribute (or how you plan to).

We are excited to be working with PostgreSQL community. We would love to partner with the community to bring our experience, from building SQL Server over the years, to PostgreSQL – and to learn in areas where PostgreSQL excels. We have already engaged on pgsql-hackers mailing list and working with the community on patches. Moving forward, we will continue to contribute back and partner with the community in the service of our customers. As we look forward, the possibilities of what we can work together on are amazing.

How do you foresee yourself helping the Postgres community?

As mentioned above, we would love to share our learnings from working on SQL Server with the PostgreSQL community. While there are many areas that we can work on together with the community, a couple of areas to highlight would be connectivity for the cloud and making PostgreSQL more robust and compatible in Windows development environment.

What challenges did you face building AzureDB?

A key learning for us while working on Azure Database for PostgreSQL has been that the fundamental needs of the CIO from any database in the cloud is quite similar – cost saving, fundamentals like reliability, performance and scale, as well as security. In the 9 months between preview and general availability, we heard similar feedback again and again from customers and worked on these key areas. For example, we ensures that there is built-in HA so developers can be confident of their customer experience. Similarly we ensure that we have worldwide but also local compliance to serve customer needs across the globe.  

What goals do you have for the Postgres community?

Microsoft’s mission is to enable every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. To make this mission meaningful for our customers, we intend to meet them where they are, helping them to be productive with the technologies and tools of their choice. PostgreSQL has a strong community and is one of the most loved open source databases, bringing industry leading innovations to customers.

What is the number one barrier you see to contributing to the Postgres community?

For us this is start of an important and enduring journey and so far we have had great support from the community.

What is the best thing about working with the Postgres community?

PostgreSQL is a global community with talented engineers. So the best things about working with the community is the learning and sharing of experiences with the some great minds.

Tell us why you believe people should attend PostgresConf 2018 in April.

Because it is the best place to learn, interact, and network with everyone working on Postgres – either building Postgres or users of Postgres.

About Microsoft:

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With its Data & AI solutions, Microsoft enables developers to easily build and deliver intelligent apps by offering productive and familiar tools to integrate data and built-in AI. To offer more choice and flexibility to developers, Microsoft has now introduced Azure Database for PostgreSQL, a PaaS offering for PostgreSQL.

Mark Bolz, Principal Program Manager with the Microsoft Azure Data Group, presents "General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with Azure Database for PostgreSQL" on Wednesday, April 18 at 4:30 pm. Principal Program Manager Sunil Kamath presents "Combine the Power of Community PostgreSQL and Microsoft Azure to Migrate Existing or Build New Apps" on Friday, April 20 at 12:50 pm -- see event listing for location (subject to change).

Rohan Kumar, Corporate Vice President of Azure Data at Microsoft, will present the Microsoft keynote on April 19 at 3:40 pm, in the Newport Grand Ballroom. Visit the Microsoft team in the Exhibit Hall in the Newport Grand Ballroom on Wednesday, April 18, and Thursday, April 19.  

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2018, 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.

Malcolm McLean of Apace Systems is a PostgreSQL DBA, Linux admin, Java/PHP developer and according to his bio "a bit of a pedantic perfectionist", with over 12 years of experience with PostgreSQL and somewhat more than that with Linux and development.

Malcolm is presenting "PostgreSQL in a Geographically Distributed Realtime Transactional System" on Thursday, April 19, at 11:20 am. Read what he has to say about Postgres and why to attend his session: 

Why PostgreSQL?

My very first job over 13 years ago introduced me to Postgres after having only worked with MySQL at university. Since then, I've been happier with its performance compared to other DB's I've benchmarked as well as with the features that are continuously introduced to keep the database on the forefront. Across 3 companies I have never looked back and never regretted my decision to always use Postgres.

Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community.

I spoke at the first PgConf South Africa last year and I'm now one of the organisers of PostgresConf South Africa 2018.

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

Definitely the integrated logical replication without the need of an extension.

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

It perhaps won't make Postgres 11, but at least by Postgres 12 we should have BDR integrated with the current logical replication capabilities rounded off.

Why should attendees come to your talk at PostgresConf US 2018? What would you like for them to take away from your session?

We had an interesting replication problem to solve. Multi-master replication where data needed to be replicated betweens servers in multiple countries, some with data restrictions, but without replicating data where it didn't need to go. So a sort of conditional sharding with redundancy in each data center.

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

 The talks on replication (anything to make our lives easier) and security. 

What is your favorite aspect of PostgresConf US?

Meeting like-minded people from different backgrounds. And of course, the trip itself. I've done quite a bit of travelling over the years, but I haven't yet been to the US.

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

Push yourself to learn. Sitting back doesn't get you very far. 

 

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

Latest Posts