Introduction

A guide to the twelve chapters of the 11th edition, from installing PostgreSQL 17 to SQL, applications, and further study.

We have written this small book for those who only start getting acquainted with the world of PostgreSQL. From this book, you will learn:

I. PostgreSQL — what is it all about? — p. 3
II. What’s new in PostgreSQL 17 — p. 15
III. Installation on Linux and Windows — p. 25
IV. Connecting to a server, writing SQL queries, and using transactions — p. 35
V. Learning the SQL language on a demo database — p. 61
VI. Using PostgreSQL with your application — p. 89
VII. Minimal server setup — p. 103
VIII. About a useful pgAdmin application — p. 111
IX. Advanced features:
- Full-text search — p. 117
- JSON format — p. 124
- Foreign data wrappers — p. 137
X. Education and certification opportunities — p. 149
XI. Keeping up with all updates — p. 177
XII. About the Postgres Professional company — p. 181

We hope that our book will make your first experience with PostgreSQL more pleasant and help you blend into the PostgreSQL community. Good luck!