PostgreSQL 9.2 Out with Greatly Improved Scalability

The PostgreSQL project announced the release of PostgreSQL 9.2 today. The headliner: "With the addition of linear scalability to 64 cores, index-only scans and reductions in CPU power consumption, PostgreSQL 9.2 has significantly improved scalability and developer flexibility for the most demanding workloads. ... Up to 350,000 read queries per second (more than 4X faster) ... Index-only scans for data warehousing queries (2–20X faster) ... Up to 14,000 data writes per second (5X faster)" Additionally, there's now a JSON type (including the ability to retrieve row results in JSON directly from the database) ala the XML type (although lacking a broad set of utility functions). Minor, but probably a welcome relief to those who need them, 9.2 adds range restricted types. For the gory details, see the what's new page, or the full release notes.

Range data types

[slack_justyb]

I think everyone has glossed over the single most important feature in the Postgre SQL that they have refined in this release, IMHO. Ranged data types. Let's say you have a meeting schedule DB application. Well currently if you want to restrict a room between two times (start and stop) so that no one else can have the room during that time, you are going to have to write that logic in your application.

Postgre's range data type allows you to create unique checks on ranges of time. This can in two lines of code, do every single logic check that is needed to ensure no two people schedule the same room at the same time.

How this is not showing up on anyone's radar is beyond me, or maybe we all just use Outlook or Google Calendar now. However, the range types are not just limited to the application of time, but of anything that requires uniqueness along a linear fashion, as opposed to just checking to see if any other record matches the one that you are trying to insert.

Postgres-Curious

[kwalker]

TL;DR: Is there an advanced PostgreSQL for MySQL Users guide out there somewhere? Something more than basic command-line equivalents? And preferably from the last two major releases of the software?

Long version
I've been using MySQL personally and professionally for a number of years now. I have setup read-only slaves, reporting servers, multi-master replication, converted between database types, setup hot backups (Regardless of database engine), recovered crashed databases, and I generally know most of the tricks. However I'm not happy with the rumors I'm hearing about Oracle's handling of the software since their acquisition of MySQL's grandparent company, and I'm open to something else if it's more flexible, powerful, and/or efficient.

I've always heard glowing, wonderful things online about PostgreSQL, but I know no one who knows anything about it, let alone advanced tricks like replication, performance tuning, or showing all the live database connections and operations at the current time. So for any Postgres fans on Slashdot, is there such a thing as a guide to PostgreSQL for MySQL admins, especially with advanced topics like replication, tuning, monitoring, and profiling?

How PostgreSQL stacks up to Oracle ?

[Taco Cowboy]

I've been searching for a comparison chart of various SQLs but all I can find are very very old articles

There's a database project that I'm working on and I'm choosing which SQL to be employed

MySQL is obviously not up to par

I don't know how good PostgreSQL is - so, is there a comparison chart or something that can facilitate us, the one who are going to make purchasing decision, to make one choice over the other?

Thank you !