EDB brings new tools to open source PostgreSQL database
The database vendor released new extensions designed to help PostgreSQL users with best practices for storage, user access and performance optimizations for database operations.
With its latest release, database vendor EnterpriseDB is providing users of the open source PostgreSQL database with a set of new tools and extensions to better optimize and manage deployments.
The vendor, based in Bedford, Mass., is one of the leading contributors to the open source relational database. EDB provides tools and support for the open source version of PostgreSQL as well developing its own commercial edition called EDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) that provides additional Oracle compatibility.
EDB also runs the BigAnimal cloud service, which provides managed version of both the open source edition as well as EPAS. On Nov. 29, the vendor made generally available its EDB Tools and Extensions Release for PostgreSQL 15 (EDB PG 15), which provides a set of optimization and management features for organizations running the open source version of the database.
EDB's tool update follows the open source community release of PostgreSQL 15.0 that became generally available on Oct. 13 with a series of new features, including logging, compression and data query updates.
EDB competes against multiple vendors that provide PostgreSQL services, including Percona; Aiven; Instaclustr; and cloud providers AWS, Google and Microsoft. A key challenge for all PostgreSQL providers is making the relational database easy to use for enterprises, as it can be complex to manage.
The complexity of PostgreSQL and relational database systems overall is a challenge, according to Gartner analyst Robin Schumacher. He noted that Gartner research and client inquiries indicate that ease-of-use is a top priority for database software buyers. In fact, vendors that excel in simplicity often win over competitors with more technical features.
"In particular, buyers value database platforms and tooling that increase productivity and automate tasks that, in the past, used to monopolize administrator's time, like provisioning, scaling, disaster recovery and performance optimization," Schumacher said.
How EDB is optimizing open source PostgreSQL database storage
Buyers value database platforms and tooling that increase productivity and automate tasks that, in the past, used to monopolize administrator's time, like provisioning, scaling, disaster recovery and performance optimization.
Robin SchumacherAnalyst, Gartner
The open source PostgreSQL database has a lot of different options that can often be complex for users to understand and configure properly.
The database, for decades, has had the ability to support extensions that users can plug in to get additional capabilities.
The goal with EDB PG 15 is to provide tools that reduce the complexity in a few areas, said Marc Linster, CTO of EDB.
Among the tools in the EDB PG 15 update is the EDB Advanced Storage Pack that provides a set of extensions to help organizations optimize data storage. PostgreSQL has both a table as well as an index based access method for storage.
The new storage extension is designed to make to make it easier for database administrators to configure the right storage based on the data type. PostgreSQL is capable of handling a variety of data types, including JSON and PostGIS (a spatial database extender for PostgreSQL) geospatial data.
PostgreSQL tuning optimizes open source deployments
Integrating PostgreSQL with existing enterprise identity and access management directory systems is another key goal of EDB PG 15.
EDB PG 15 includes an LDAP sync feature designed to synchronize users across enterprise directories and database access configuration policies. EDB is using open libraries to enable the LDAP support.
If someone adds a user to a group in LDAP, then that user can be created automatically in PostgreSQL. If a user is removed from an LDAP group, then that user can be removed from the database.
EDB is also providing a Tuner extension to help open source PostgreSQL users optimize database performance. The tuner looks at memory and hardware setting and will tune the database configurations as needed.
"'What we're really implementing in an extension is all the known best practices for PostgreSQL," Linster said. "As we're seeing more and more people come to PostgreSQL, who … may not be as deep steeply steeped in the technology, this kind of stuff becomes really important."
