This post is part of the PGSQL Phriday PostgreSQL blogging series. Please take part and write a response on your blog to this months challenge.

It's been a busy few months in PostgreSQL and for me, with: PostgreSQL v16 launched , a successful PGDay UK 2023 , talk selection for PGConf.eu 2023 , making more Elephant LED Badges and busy building an app (which uses PostgreSQL of course).

Being on the talk selection committee for PGConf.eu 2023 for me has been very interesting, to see the types of talks that get submitted and the range of topics from the community. A few of us have remarked that there have been very few talk submissions which cover about real world examples and stories.

I've always been much more into the practical side of engineering. It was the joy of making things, as much as the fasination of how they worked with first drew me into Electronic Engineering many a year ago. While I segued into an IT career very quickly, it has always been the practical side of IT which drives me, and I don't just mean playing about with servers and hardware.

I've always cared far more about what I can build with tools, rather than which tool I'm using. For me the fun part of engineering is solving a problem with-in constraints (and yes: time, money, business models are all constraints). It's the successful delivery of a project that is exciting, even if it was hard work and I had to learn a new tool.

To some extent good craft requires using the right tool for the job. Yet time and time again, there are certain tools I keep going back to. Often those tools are more varied and versatile than others, which brings me to this months PGSQL Phriday 013 topic.

The Challenge: Usecases and Why PostgreSQL

On Friday, October 6th 2023, publish a post on your blog telling a story about what you (or your team, client) built with PostgreSQL and how PostgreSQL helped you deliver.

I'd love to read about the weird and varied things that people are using PostgreSQL for. If you think your usecase is boring, I'm sure it will be of use to someone. Plus you can always focus more on the story and how PostgreSQL helped to deliver a project, or could have, or didn't!

  • Did things like: Full Text Search, JSONB, PostGIS, etc enable you to build a better application
  • Did using PostgreSQL remove the need for other dependencies, or change your approach
  • Did you learn some SQL which made you realise stuff has moved along alot since SQL92

Maybe it was that disaster of a project where in hindsight using PostgreSQL would have been a winner. Or maybe PostgreSQL hindered you, so let's hear about what went wrong.

I'd like to see people focus on telling some real world, practical examples of where PostgreSQL shined like a crazy diamond.

PGSQL Phriday Rules

This is part of PGSQL Phriday , taking part should be easy and fun, you don't need to write pages and pages. However follow these simple rules:

  • Link back to this post at the beginning of your post
  • Once published, announce it somewhere I will see it (PostgreSQL Community Slack, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, pgsql-general mailing list), I'll keep any eye out for what people post
  • Use the #pgsqlphriday hashtag anywhere you post
  • Publish as close to Friday, October 6th 2023 as you can

Keep Talking

PS: I'd really like to see more talks of this type, especially from people in the community which have not spoken before, so stick an abstract in for the next event near you, you've got nothing to loose by trying.

Feel free to message me on Mastodon: @intrbiz@bergamot.social