PostgreSQL

What Is PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL (often called Postgres) is an advanced open-source relational database system with over 35 years of development. It’s known for reliability, data integrity, and extensibility, making it a popular choice for business applications from startups to enterprises.

Key characteristics:

• Open source (free to use)
• ACID compliant
• Highly extensible
• Standards compliant (SQL)
• Strong community support
• Cross-platform

PostgreSQL Features

Reliability

• ACID transactions
• Point-in-time recovery
• Replication options
• Crash recovery

Functionality

• Advanced SQL support
• JSON/JSONB for semi-structured data
• Full-text search
• Geospatial (PostGIS)
• Custom data types

Performance

• Query optimization
• Parallel queries
• Table partitioning
• Sophisticated indexing

Security

• Row-level security
• SSL encryption
• Authentication options
• Audit logging

PostgreSQL in Business

Common PostgreSQL use cases:

Application databases

• SaaS application backends
• E-commerce platforms
• Content management systems

Operational data stores

• Transaction processing
• Inventory management
• Order management

Analytics

• Reporting databases
• Data marts
• OLAP workloads (with extensions)

Integration hub

• Foreign data wrappers
• ETL staging area
• Data consolidation

PostgreSQL vs. Other Databases

Aspect	PostgreSQL	MySQL	SQL Server
License	Open source	Open source (Oracle)	Commercial
Advanced SQL	Excellent	Good	Excellent
JSON support	Excellent	Good	Good
Extensions	Extensive	Limited	Microsoft only
Cost	Free	Free/paid	Paid
Community	Strong	Strong	Microsoft

PostgreSQL for Finance

Finance teams encounter PostgreSQL in several contexts:

Source system databases

• Application data stores
• Operational databases
• Custom business systems

Reporting databases

• Replicas for reporting
• Data marts
• Analytical extracts

Data integration

• Staging for ETL
• Consolidation layer
• Cross-system queries

Accessing PostgreSQL Data

Direct SQL access:

• Query tools (pgAdmin, DBeaver)
• Requires SQL skills
• Full flexibility

BI tool connections:

• Tableau, Power BI, Looker
• Requires data modeling
• Visualization focused

Export to Excel:

• Manual exports
• No automation
• Quickly outdated

With Go Fig:

• Automated extraction
• Delivered to Excel
• Combined with other sources
• No SQL required

How Go Fig Connects to PostgreSQL

Go Fig integrates directly with PostgreSQL:

What Go Fig extracts:

• Tables and views
• Custom queries
• Joined datasets
• Historical data

Delivery options:

• Excel spreadsheets
• Dashboards
• Semantic layer
• Other destinations

Benefits:

• No SQL skills needed
• Scheduled refreshes
• Combined with ERP, CRM data
• AI-powered analysis

PostgreSQL Best Practices for Finance

1. Use read replicas: Don’t query production directly
2. Create views: Pre-define useful data sets
3. Index appropriately: Speed up common queries
4. Document schemas: Know what tables contain
5. Secure access: Limit who can query what
6. Monitor performance: Track query impact

PostgreSQL Hosting Options

Self-managed:

• On-premise servers
• Cloud VMs (EC2, Compute Engine)
• Full control, full responsibility

Managed services:

• Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Google Cloud SQL
• Heroku Postgres

Serverless:

• Amazon Aurora Serverless
• Neon
• PlanetScale (MySQL-compatible)