What this book covers

Chapter 1, What Is a PostgreSQL Server?, introduces you to the PostgreSQL server and will set the tone for the rest of the book. It introduces you to the ways in which a PostgreSQL server is extendible, and shows you that it can be treated as a complete software development framework instead of just a database server.

Chapter 2, Server Programming Environments, elaborates that PostgreSQL is built to handle user needs, but more importantly, it is built not to change underneath users in the future. It will touch upon the environments and will highlight some of the important things to be kept in mind when programming on the server in PostgreSQL.

Chapter 3, Your First PL/pgSQL Function, builds the foundations by demonstrating how to write simple PL/pgSQL functions.

Chapter 4, Returning Structured Data, builds on the knowledge of writing PL/pgSQL functions and demonstrates how to write functions that return a set of values such as rows, arrays, and cursors.

Chapter 5, PL/pgSQL Trigger Functions, discusses how to write PL/pgSQL functions that are used to write trigger logic. It also discusses the various types of triggers available in PostgreSQL and the options that a database developer has when writing such functions.

Chapter 6, PostgreSQL Event Triggers, discusses PostgreSQL's event trigger functionality. Event triggers are fired when running a DDL operation on a table. This chapter discusses the various possibilities and options of creating event triggers and their limitations in PostgreSQL.

Chapter 7, Debugging PL/pgSQL, elaborates on how to debug PL/pgSQL's stored procedures and functions in PostgreSQL. This chapter explains how to install the debugger plugin and use the pgAdmin debugger console.

Chapter 8, Using Unrestricted Languages, explains the differences between restricted and unrestricted PostgreSQL languages. This chapter uses PL/Python as an example and demonstrates the examples of both restricted and unrestricted functions in PL/Python.

Chapter 9, Writing Advanced Functions in C, explains how to extend PostgreSQL by writing user-defined functions (UDFs) in C.

Chapter 10, Scaling Your Database with PL/Proxy, explains the use of a special programming language in PostgreSQL called PL/Proxy and how to use it in order to partition and shard your database.

Chapter 11, PL/Perl – Perl Procedural Language, discusses a popular PL language in PostgreSQL called PL/Perl. This chapter uses some simple examples to demonstrate how you can use Perl to write database functions.

Chapter 12, PL/Tcl – Tcl Procedural Language, discusses Tcl as a language of choice when writing database functions. It discusses the pros and cons of using Tcl in the database.

Chapter 13, Publishing Your Code as PostgreSQL Extensions, discusses how to package and distribute the PostgreSQL extensions. Well-packaged extensions can be easily distributed and installed by other users. This chapter also introduces you to the PostgreSQL Extension Network (PGXN) and shows you how to use it to get the extensions published by other developers.

Chapter 14, PostgreSQL as an Extensible RDBMS, discusses more extensibility options in PostgreSQL, such as creating new data types, operators, and index methods.