• Olap@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What would we do without postgres? How does anyone justify another SQL DB these days?

    • Buckshot@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      We use SQL Server at work and I really don’t get why. It’s so expensive. We’re hosting it on AWS as well. I can’t remember the numbers but it’s several times more than a similarly specced postgres and we’re only using Standard edition.

      I don’t think we’re really using any features that would stop us moving over, it’s really just inertia and in-house knowledge.

      • ono@lemmy.caOP
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        1 year ago

        Sounds like an opportunity to be the shepherd of change that saves the company money.

        Beware of one-trick database admins (if you have those) and salespeople who earn their living fighting such changes.

        • Buckshot@programming.dev
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          1 year ago

          Yeah I’ve been dropping not very subtle hints. We’re only a small company, about 25 people. We don’t have any dedicated database admins at all.

          It’s on the list I think but we don’t have the people to spare to get it done.

    • abbadon420@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      You sure know how to bring up the elephant in the room. But mysql is decent enough too, not my favourite, but good enough.

    • Dr Cog@mander.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Can you elaborate? I’m deciding on what type of SQL to use for my lab and am thinking about MySQL. Should we reconsider?

      • technojamin@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t know exactly what environment you’re working, but Postgres has a reputation as the best DBMS to work with from a developer’s perspective. I definitely feel that way, at least.

        What type of lab are you working in, and what other technologies do you work with?

        • Dr Cog@mander.xyz
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          1 year ago

          I’m the director of technology for a neurology lab, where we collect patient health record data in a variety of disparate machines and modalities (e.g., MRI, EEG, physical functioning, retinal scans, etc.). We’ve been using the open-source database software REDCap (basically a wrapper for MySQL that enables easy GUI-based data entry), but we are reaching the limits of what it can handle and need something that can scale with our growing database.

          I have little experience in database management myself, but I am a competent programmer and feel comfortable learning whatever is needed (famous last words, I know).

          • decus@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I have experience running both at global scale (self managed, AWS RDS & GCP CloudSQL). Developer experience = postgres, management/sysadmin = MySQL/maria

    • dyc3@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’ve heard that it doesn’t scale well. Something to do with the vacuum process? I don’t remember. Personally, I don’t really buy it.