Learning PostgreSQL 11: A Beginner’s Guide to Building High-Performance PostgreSQL Database Solutions, Third Edition

Learning PostgreSQL 11 takes readers from relational database fundamentals into the practical work of designing, programming, securing, and tuning a PostgreSQL database. The book’s wide scope is useful for readers who want more than a tour of SQL: it connects database concepts with the objects, tools, and performance considerations involved in real applications.

Start with the foundations, then build

The opening chapters establish key ideas in relational databases, data modeling, and PostgreSQL itself. From there, the book moves into installation and the building blocks of a database: roles, schemas, tables, native data types, views, indexes, functions, and triggers. This sequence gives readers a conceptual base for understanding how PostgreSQL’s parts fit together.

SQL and server-side programming

Alongside SQL querying and data changes, the book explores PL/pgSQL and database-side programming. It also covers transactions, concurrency, and advanced data types including arrays, hstore, and JSONB—useful territory for understanding how PostgreSQL supports different kinds of application data.

Look beyond the basic query

Further chapters address security, the PostgreSQL catalog, testing, and performance optimization. Data warehousing, OLAP, partitioning, replication, and scalability extend the discussion to analytical and larger-scale database needs. A chapter on using PostgreSQL in Python applications connects database work with an everyday application-development context.

A broad PostgreSQL 11 learning path

This third edition is centered on PostgreSQL 11, with coverage ranging from first principles to administration and application development. It may suit learners building a foundation, developers working with PostgreSQL-backed applications, and readers looking for a broad reference across database design, SQL, and performance topics. The chapter summaries and questions also provide natural points to pause and review as you work through the material.