PgConf.Russia 2020

We would like to share our test results (including performance testing) of PostgreSQL/Citrus and MongoDB for our company's data. It has been a very exciting process with unexpected turns and a somewhat controversial outcome.

In May 2019 «Postgres Professional» launched the PostgreSQL Certification Program. Now you can not only get training in our courses, but also confirm your knowledge by passing an appropriate set of tests.

In this presentation, I will share the results of the first months of the program and answer the most frequently asked questions:

Where can I get information about the certification program?
PostgreSQL or Postgres Pro certification?
Certificates for PostgreSQL version 10. When will you upgrade to the current version?
Do I have to attend training centers?
Can I pass the test remotely? Not in Moscow?
Is it possible to take several tests at once in one day?
How to prepare for the test? Are there any examples of training questions?
During the test I got an incorrect question, what should I do?
How to find out exactly which questions the answers were not correct?
When can I retake after an unsuccessful attempt?
How to appeal the test results? 

From the very beginning, PostgreSQL in Avito has been solving very important tasks. All the main architecture components are built around DBMS. For over 10 years, the project has been actively evolving, and the infrastructure and architecture have changed a lot.

The talk will start with an overview of how PostgreSQL infrastructure and architecture have advanced in Avito over time and which challenges have been successfully resolved.

Then we'll discuss PostgreSQL usage scenarios in Avito in 2020: microservice architecture, sharding, hosting multiple databases on a single server instance, DBaaS (Database discovery, access control, failover, backup, archive, resource sharing, etc.), integration, and team evolution.
And finally, I'll share our backlog and wishlist.

It is our experience of the medical information system "RT MIS" transfer from MSSQL to PostgreSQL . When the necessity of transfer to PostgreSQL in our "RT MIS", one of the largest medical information systems, became imminent, we felt really terrified having assessed its amount: there was a huge number of stored procedures, functions, SQL-queries in its application code and services. It all requested transcribing, was exacerbated by demands on the system accessibility. So the variant "we awoke in the morning and PostgreSQL was working everywhere" was definitely impossible. That is why we chose another way: began eating "the elephant (PostgreSQL)" in chunks.

In my report, I am going to share our practical experience of the transfer, the instruments we used, the reason for another replication, the problems we met and their solutions. And finally, what turned out to be better: PostgreSQL or MSSQL.