PostgreSQL: Syllabus

Mastering PostgreSQL: Comprehensive Guide to Database Mastery

PostgreSQL is one of the most powerful and widely used relational database management systems. This book provides a hands-on approach to mastering PostgreSQL, covering fundamental and advanced topics such as schema design, performance tuning, replication, and data integration. By the end of this guide, you will be proficient in managing PostgreSQL for real-world applications.

Module 1: Introduction and Setup#

• Introduction to PostgreSQL
• Installation and Configuration
• Using psql CLI and pgAdmin GUI
• Basic administration commands

References:

• Official PostgreSQL Documentation
• pgAdmin Documentation

Module 2: Database Design & Modeling#

• Relational Database Concepts
• ER Diagram design
• Normalization and denormalization
• Schema creation
• Tables, constraints, and data types

References:

• Database Design for Mere Mortals
• Database Normalization

Module 3: SQL Fundamentals#

• DDL (CREATE, ALTER, DROP)
• DML (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
• DQL (SELECT queries, JOINS, subqueries)
• Indexing (B-tree, hash, GIN, GiST)
• Constraints (primary key, foreign key, unique, check)

References:

• SQL Tutorial - W3Schools
• PostgreSQL SQL Syntax

Module 4: Advanced SQL#

• Window functions and analytical queries
• Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
• Stored Procedures and Functions
• Triggers
• Transactions and Isolation levels

References:

• Advanced SQL - Window Functions
• Transactions and Concurrency

Module 5: Query Optimization & Performance Tuning#

• EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE
• Query optimization techniques
• Index strategies and performance tuning
• Partitioning and sharding
• Caching and materialized views

References:

• PostgreSQL Performance Tuning
• Indexing Techniques

Module 6: PostgreSQL Administration#

• User roles and permissions
• Backup and Restore strategies (pg_dump, pg_restore)
• Replication (Streaming, Logical, Physical)
• High Availability and Failover (Patroni, PgBouncer)
• PostgreSQL Configuration optimization

References:

• PostgreSQL Administration
• Patroni Documentation

Module 7: Advanced PostgreSQL Features#

• JSON & JSONB data handling
• Full-text search
• Extensions (PostGIS, TimescaleDB, pg_stat_statements)
• Logical Replication and CDC

References:

• PostgreSQL JSON Functions
• PostGIS Documentation

Module 8: Monitoring, Logging, and Security#

• PostgreSQL logging and log analysis
• Monitoring performance metrics
• Security best practices
• Encryption (SSL/TLS)
• Audit and compliance (pgAudit)

References:

• PostgreSQL Security
• pgAudit Extension

Module 9: Foreign Data Wrappers (FDW) & Data Integration#

• Introduction to PostgreSQL Foreign Data Wrappers
• Querying external databases from PostgreSQL (MySQL, MongoDB, Redis)
• Setting up postgres_fdw for cross-database queries
• Performance considerations and optimizations for FDWs

References:

• PostgreSQL FDW Documentation
• FDW Extensions

Module 10: Integration & Automation#

• PostgreSQL and Kafka Connect integration (Debezium)
• Airflow orchestration with PostgreSQL
• RESTful APIs with PostgreSQL databases
• CI/CD for database schema migrations

References:

• Debezium Documentation
• Airflow PostgreSQL Integration

🛠️ Hands-on Projects (Recommended):#

• Design a normalized relational database for an e-commerce platform
• Build a real-time CDC pipeline using PostgreSQL, Debezium, and Kafka
• Optimize a slow-running PostgreSQL query using indexing and EXPLAIN ANALYZE
• Set up PostgreSQL replication and failover with Patroni
• Implement Foreign Data Wrappers to query data across PostgreSQL and MySQL

References:

• Hands-on PostgreSQL Projects