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PostgreSQL 18
Two-day Introductory Course
Copyright
© Postgres Professional, 2017–2026
Authors: Egor Rogov, Pavel Luzanov, Ilya Bashtanov, Igor Gnatyuk, Aleksei
Beresnev
Translated by: Liudmila Mantrova, Alexander Meleshko, Elena Sharafutdinova
Cover photo by Oleg Bartunov (Nepal peak, 7143 m, Lhonak)
Use of course materials
Non-commercial use of course materials (presentations, demonstrations) is
allowed without restrictions. Commercial use is possible only with the written
permission of Postgres Professional. It is prohibited to make changes to the
course materials.
Feedback
Please send your feedback, comments and suggestions to:
edu@postgrespro.ru
Disclaimer
Postgres Professional assumes no responsibility for any damages and losses,
including loss of income, caused by direct or indirect, intentional or accidental
use of course materials. Postgres Professional company specifically disclaims
any warranties on course materials. Course materials are provided “as is,” and
Postgres Professional company has no obligations to provide maintenance,
support, updates, enhancements, or modifications.
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About This Course
Duration: 2 days
Background knowledge required
fundamentals of databases and SQL
basic knowledge of Unix OS
Knowledge and skills gained
general idea of PostgreSQL architecture
basics of installation, configuring, and managing the server
physical and logical data layout
basic administration tasks
authentication and access control
overview of backups and replication
This course is a two-day introduction to PostgreSQL for database
administrators and application developers.
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Provided Resources
A pre-configured virtual machine
Xubuntu 24.04 OS
PostgreSQL 18 with documentation in English
Course materials
Student’s Guide
presentations, demos, practical tasks with solutions
(in html and pdf formats)
reference materials: a chart of the main system catalog tables
with psql commands, some Unix commands
If you are taking the course on your own, take a look at the Student’s Guide
first. Among other things, it provides download links for the virtual machine
and other resources, and explains how to use them. All course materials are
available at:
Doing practical assignments is very important for gaining the skills of
working with PostgreSQL. Always try completing the tasks on your own, and
then look through the provided keys, even if you did not have any questions:
you can find there some more theory, which is not covered in presentations
and demos.
Course materials (presentations, demos, practical assignments, and their
keys) are available in two formats. The html format is convenient for
browsing online and allows copying text and code snippets. The pdf format
works best for printing.
Additional reference materials will help you quickly find the required
information.
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Organizational Questions
Each course day includes
6 hours of training
lunch break
For each lecture, we usually provide
presentation with demos: ~30–60 min
practical tasks: ~20–30 min, including break
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Day 1
Basic tools
01. Installation and Management, psql
Architecture
02. PostgreSQL Fundamentals
03. Isolation and MVCC
04. Vacuuming
05. Buffer Cache and WAL
Data Organization
06. Logical Structure
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Day 2
Data Organization (continued)
07. Physical Structure
Administrative Tasks
08. Monitoring
Access Control
09. Overview
Backup and Replication
10. Backup Overview
11. Physical Replication Overview
