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PostgreSQL Fundamentals

PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database server. Applications use SQL to store related data in tables, enforce rules around that data, and retrieve or change it safely.

itDatabases and data storage

PostgreSQL Fundamentals

PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database system. It runs as a server, stores related data in tables, and accepts SQL from client applications. Its job is larger than saving rows. It also enforces data rules, coordinates concurrent work, plans queries, and recovers committed changes after a failure.

This course gives you a working map of PostgreSQL. It does not try to teach every SQL expression or administration procedure. You will learn what the server owns, how data is organized, what happens when a query runs, and which guarantees belong in the database.

The client-server model

A PostgreSQL session joins a client to a server. The server program, called postgres, manages database files, accepts connections, and performs database actions. A client might be the psql terminal, a graphical tool, an application server, or a maintenance program.

One running PostgreSQL server instance manages a database cluster. A cluster contains one or more databases. A connection enters one database, and SQL statements work with objects inside that database. Schemas create named areas within a database. Tables, views, functions, and other objects live in schemas.

Keep these boundaries distinct:

cluster -> databases -> schemas -> tables and other objects
client  -> connection -> transaction -> SQL statements

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