Latest posts from Greg Sabino Mullane
Examining Postgres Upgrades with pg_upgrade
Greg outlines the steps and process for an example upgrade from Postgres version 12 to 16 using the built-in pg_upgrade tool.
12 min readPostgres Not Starting: The Case of the Missing Output
Greg debugs Postgres that is not starting and there are no logs, no pg_ctl start up file, and no output anywhere.
5 min readPostgres Postmaster File Explained
Greg explains what is inside the postmaster file and why it matters. He also references each part of the postmaster file to the Postgres source code.
6 min readAdvent of Code in PostgreSQL: Tips and Tricks from 2022
Thinking about solving the Advent of Code in Postgres? I did it last year and I have summary of how to get started and some tips and tricks for writing your own solutions.
8 min readFun with Postgres ASCII Map and Cardinal Directions
Greg has more solutions to the last Advent of Code, this is day 23. Here he takes an ASCII map of dots and hashes and looks for free spaces with cardinal directions. Some fun SQL in here with table rebuilds and ANSI color charts all inside plain PostgreSQL.
25 min readFun with Postgres Text File Mazes, Charts, and Routes
Greg has more solutions to the last Advent of Code. He takes the text input file and solves the puzzle by charting a route through a maze. With some cool settings, these animations run inside psql.
21 min readFun with Postgres Looped Functions and Linear Progressions
More Advent of Code solutions in PostgreSQL, this is day 21. Greg separates out the monkey speak and creates looped functions to predict what they're saying. For bonus points, Greg shows off the new friendly big number inputs in Postgres 16 that use a format like BIGINT = 1_000_000_000.
8 min readFun with Postgres Floats, Positioning, and Sequencing
Greg continues to amaze us with solutions to the 2022 Advent of Code, this is day 20. Using only PostgreSQL he decrypts data, gets it sequenced, and gets back on his journey to meet up with the Elves.
11 min readPrepared Statements in Transaction Mode for PgBouncer
The newest version of PgBouncer lets you run prepared statements while using a connection pooler. Greg breaks down the performance gains of prepared statements, why they have traditionally been a challenge, and this new feature.
10 min readFun with PostgreSQL Puzzles: Recursive Functions with Animations
Greg continues with Advent of Code series in Postgres with puzzle 19. This one uses recursive functions to follow blueprints and return the results. These functions even have terminal animations to show results as they are processed!
14 min readFun with PostgreSQL puzzles: Surface Area and 3D Slices
Greg continues with more puzzles and solutions for the Advent of Code series, today covering day 18's puzzle. Greg has some amazing functions for surface area, heat maps, and 3d visualizations.
11 min readFun with PostgreSQL Puzzles: Moving Objects with Arrays, Sequences, and Aggregates
Greg continues with Advent of Code series, this one is puzzle 17. This one works with falling rocks. Using sequences, arrays, and aggregates he makes a stackable objects with nothing but SQL!
17 min read5 Ways to Get Table Creation Information in Postgres
When was this table created? Greg dives into the 5 places where you can get information about Postgres object creation.
11 min readFun with PostgreSQL puzzles: Finding shortest paths and travel costs with functions
Greg is still working on some of the puzzles in the Advent of Code series. In this one he tackles some routes, shortest paths, and cost. These are great sample PostgreSQL functions withs some bonus tips on using pg_stat_user_functions to look at recursion.
22 min readPostgreSQL Unlogged Sequences - Look Mum, no WAL!
New in Postgres 15, sequences can be unlogged. Greg reviews unlogged sequences and provides some details about using them.
9 min readPostgreSQL Unlogged Tables - Look Ma, No WAL!
Unlogged tables in Postgres can give you a big performance improvement but beware of the drawbacks. Here are some tips on how to safely give it a try.
11 min readHow to Solve Advent of Code 2022 Using Postgres - Day 15
Day 15 of AOC we have new hands on SQL for the Beacon Exclusion Zone. This one uses CTEs, sequences, regexp_substr() / regexp_match(), int4range, range_agg(), and an upsert.
18 min readHow to Solve Advent of Code 2022 Using Postgres - Day 14
Day 14 of AOC we have new hands on SQL for the Distress Signal. This one uses lag(), sequencing, regexp_replace(), and overlay().
10 min readHow to Solve Advent of Code 2022 Using Postgres - Day 13
Day 13 of AOC we have new hands on SQL for the Distress Signal. This one uses lag(), sequencing, regexp_replace(), and overlay().
8 min readHow to Solve Advent of Code 2022 Using Postgres - Day 12
Day 12 of AOC we have new hands on SQL for the Hill Climbing Algorithm. This one uses parsing, an IDENTITY column, functions, and text arrays.
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