SUMMARY: XTIVIA modernized its 30-year-old Virtual-DBA platform by migrating from IBM Informix to a cost-effective, cloud-optimized PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB. Table of contentsSUMMARY:Why PostgreSQL is the Future of Enterprise DataThe "War Story" Perspective: From...
PostgreSQL Blog Posts
Active‑Active Replication in PostgreSQL: Reality, Options, and Recommendations (2026)
SUMMARY: XTIVIA explores the complex reality of active-active PostgreSQL replication, evaluating modern tools such as EDB PGD and AWS pgactive to help organizations determine whether their high-availability requirements truly justify the added operational complexity....
How PostgreSQL TOAST Tables Can Inflate Your Temporary Disk Usage and How to Manage It
SUMMARY: PostgreSQL utilizes TOAST (The Oversized-Attribute Storage Technique) to efficiently store large column values, though this mechanism can trigger performance-degrading disk spills during complex queries if not properly managed. TOAST automatically compresses...
Benchmarking PostgreSQL Performance with pgbench: Before and After a Hardware Upgrade
Summary pgbench, PostgreSQL’s built-in benchmarking tool, enables organizations to accurately measure the impact of hardware upgrades by simulating realistic workloads to compare transactions per second (TPS) and latency before and after infrastructure changes....
Why pg_createcluster is the Preferred Way to Initialize PostgreSQL on Ubuntu Compared to initdb on RHEL
Summary pg_createcluster provides a superior method for initializing PostgreSQL on Ubuntu compared to the traditional initdb command by automating critical system integrations and establishing a standardized directory structure that minimizes manual configuration...
Mastering pg_stat_statements in PostgreSQL: A Complete Deep Dive with Practical Use Cases
Summary The pg_stat_statements extension is the definitive tool for PostgreSQL observability, enabling database administrators to pinpoint performance bottlenecks by aggregating detailed execution statistics—such as CPU usage, I/O latency, and query frequency—for...
Understanding ANALYZE in PostgreSQL – The Hidden Key to Query Optimization
Summary The PostgreSQL ANALYZE command is the fundamental mechanism that collects statistical data about table contents, enabling the query planner to make accurate cost estimates for efficient and optimal query execution. Table of contentsSummaryIntroductionWhat...
Why VACUUM FULL Can Be Dangerous — and What to Use Instead
SUMMARY: PostgreSQL database administrators must avoid using the VACUUM FULL command in live environments because its exclusive locking mechanism causes unacceptable service downtime, necessitating the use of safer alternatives like the pg_repack extension or a...
Fixing “System ID Mismatch” After Restoring a PostgreSQL Backup Across Environments
SUMMARY: The PostgreSQL "system ID mismatch" error, which acts as a fundamental safeguard to ensure data integrity, commonly arises when restoring backups across disparate environments using tools such as pgBackRest or Patroni, requiring precise cleanup of metadata or...
Optimizing PostgreSQL in the Cloud: A Strategic Approach to Cost Savings
SUMMARY: Cloud-managed PostgreSQL offers reliability and scalability. However, organizations frequently fall into the trap of reactive scaling, leading to escalating, unsustainable costs. XTIVIA’s DBA experts resolve this by focusing on proactive optimization to...