PostgreSQL Performance Tuning

[Don Erickson]

On Thu, 23 Jun 2005, Frank Wiles wrote:

>  Not sure how many people on this list use PostgreSQL, but I recently
>  posted an article that helps gather the "generally accepted best
>  practices" for tuning a PostgreSQL database.

Fascinating article, with lots of non-postgresql-specific db performance 
tips as well.

I've never used postgresql, I've always used mysql.  At the time that I 
made this decision, the "accepted wisdom" on OSS dbs seemed to be that 
mysql was fastest and easiest to admin, but postgresql was safest 
(transactions) and most featureful.  Since I didn't know anything about 
databases anyway, I felt that the extra features would probably be wasted 
on me, and speed never goes out of style.

Is this view still essentially true, or was it ever?  At the time mysql 
was the most popular open source db and having to vacuum your database 
seemed somehow suspect.  Not that "most popular" is so much of an 
endorsement, I'm thinking here of a certain operating system.

> You can read it here:
>
>  http://www.revsys.com/writings/postgresql-performance.html
>
>  Comments, feedback, etc. are always welcome.

Regards,

-Don