One of the most popular relational database systems for the past fifteen years, PostgreSQL is a robust open database source, which is compatible with most of the popular operating systems such as Windows, UNIX and Linux. While it supports multiple software languages, it is owned by several companies and developers. The name derives from the former name post-Ingres, created by the developers of Ingres database. The product was first released in 1989 in an experimenting stage at the University of California at Berkeley. One of the most unique features of PostgreSQL is that is supports several languages, such as built-in languages such as PL/pgSQL, scripting languages such as PL/Ruby, PL/Perl, PL/Python, plPHP, PL/sh, PL/Tcl and PL/Scheme, compiling languages such as Java, C and C++ and statistical language such as R. It was in 1986 that a team first came together to create the early versions of PostgreSQL. By the early 1990s, the product had become extremely popular among its users, with most of them asking for additional features.
PostgreSQL is equipped with many features such as indexes, triggers, rules, MVCC, user-defined objects, data types and inheritance features. While it is based on the ANSI-SQL 92/99 standards, the data is made available in and through the Information Schema. PostgreSQL supports both primary keys and foreign keys, with different forms of indexes, which are extremely customizable. Supported by different storage methods, there are Generalized Search Tree (GiST), B-Tree, R-Tree and Hash. GiST is an indexing system offering much flexibility to the user in terms of the storage of data, the way it is tracked and retrieved. Tables have the unique feature of inheritance, through which the “child” table can have all the main features of the “parent” table. Some of the data types which are supported by PostgreSQL are CIDR blocks, Arrays, unlimited length text and MAC address data types. At the same time, the data types can also be created by the user as well. Multi-Version Currency Control offers an overview of the entire database, thus enabling concurrent tasks, without compromising on the result and the time. PostgreSQL also has a query rewrite system which helps the user to create customized rules.
Using more than twelve programming languages, the PostgreSQL database management system offers to data administrators and developers scores of functions, which range in terms of scale, operatability and level of skills. While the procedures can be written in C language, it can be stored in the online library. Thus supporting the different languages are the wide range of library interfaces, allowing a combination of languages for storage of information. Moreover, the PostgreSQL can be freely downloaded under the BSD license, which also allows you to modify the same. While PostgreSQL alone cannot run an enterprise, it can offer an effective platform for either web or commercial softwares. Thus it offers much flexibility to any organization as the latter does not have to incur any licensing costs.
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