--- title: "This Week's PostgreSQL News (#118)" publication: "Postgres Weekly" issue: 118 published_at: "2015-08-12" canonical_url: "https://postgresweekly.com/issues/118" --- Postgres Weekly 118 . [Read this on the Web](http://postgresweekly.com/issues/118) [Postgres Weekly](http://postgresweekly.com) Issue 118 — August 12, 2015 [PostgreSQL 9.5 Alpha 2 Released](http://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1604/?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)The second alpha release of PostgreSQL 9.5 is available for download with numerous bugs and issues fixed since the first alpha. The final release will be late in the year. postgresql.​org#news [PostgreSQL 9.5 New Features with Examples [PDF\]](http://h30507.www3.hp.com/hpblogs/attachments/hpblogs/Japan-Enterprise-Topics/124/1/PostgreSQL%209.5%20New%20Features%20English%2020150807-1.pdf?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)Postgres 9.5 is just around the corner, and if you want to hit the ground running with all the new features such as upsert, here’s a great run down with hands on examples. (77 page PDF) Hewlett Packard Japan [VividCortex and PostgreSQL Monitoring](http://t.signauxhuit.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XYg4WJ3rsN6448bPf6xSsW2BgSpx56dQQddQpf6002?t=https%3A%2F%2Fvividcortex.com%2Fmonitoring%2Fpostgres%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpaid%26utm_medium%3Dpgw&si=6148852320567296&pi=8b0b3550-40de-4aeb-c65d-3fe10a6ae6a8)VividCortex is the easiest, safest, and most detailed way to monitor PostgreSQL. Unlike other tools that just capture a few status metrics, VividCortex measures every query, every process, and every metric on your entire system, down to the microsecond to improve performance. VividCortex#sponsored[![\](https://copm.s3.amazonaws.com/2a010466.png)](http://t.signauxhuit.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XYg4WJ3rsN6448bPf6xSsW2BgSpx56dQQddQpf6002?t=https%3A%2F%2Fvividcortex.com%2Fmonitoring%2Fpostgres%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpaid%26utm_medium%3Dpgw&si=6148852320567296&pi=8b0b3550-40de-4aeb-c65d-3fe10a6ae6a8) [How to Use Heroku PGBackups](http://blog.codeship.com/use-heroku-pgbackups/?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)If you care at all about you data, you want to have a solid story around your backups. If you’re on Heroku Postgres then it can become quite easy for you with PGBackups, here’s a walkthrough in what you need to know Barry Jones [Please, Security Test Our Code](http://www.databasesoup.com/2015/08/please-security-test-our-code.html?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)In response to Oracle’s [‘stop checking our code for vulnerabilities’ debacle](http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/oracle-security-chief-to-customers-stop-checking-our-code-for-vulnerabilities/), Postgres’ Josh Berkus openly invites people to security test Postgres. Josh Berkus [Postgres 9.6 feature highlight: pg_basebackup and replication slots](http://michael.otacoo.com/postgresql-2/postgres-9-6-feature-highlight-base-backup-slot/?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)The replication story of Postgres continues to get better and better, with primitives rapidly improving. Here’s on of the first to land in Postgres 9.6, though we’ve got a while before we’ll see it land if you’re operating Postgres this is worth a look. Michael Paquier [Postgres Tricks in .NET](http://www.codeguru.com/columns/dotnet/postgres-tricks-in-.net.html?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email) Peter Shaw [Don't Test with SQLite When You Use Postgres in Production](http://michael.robellard.com/2015/07/dont-test-with-sqllite-when-you-use.html?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)It should go without saying that using two different database systems in different environments is a recipe for trouble, but Michael explains why. Michael Robellard [Understanding Unintuitive TABLESAMPLE Results](http://www.databasesoup.com/2015/08/understanding-unintuitive-tablesample.html?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)Want to sample the stats in your Postgres to get a rough count of records? There’s a great way to do that… just on some small tables you might be a bit surprised by the results, here’s the background on how it works to explain why. Database Soup [Using Postgres in Go](https://medium.com/namely-labs/postgres-in-go-cf794adc4c52?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)Many web frameworks have rich ORMs, some of which support Postgres specific features, some less so. For many though Go is much more direct in how you access Postgres, but this should help you get pointed in the right direction. Jim Walker#tutorial [Minimalistic Docker Container with Postgres](http://michael.otacoo.com/postgresql-2/minimal-docker-container-postgres/?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email) Michael Paquier [cstore_fdw 1.3 Release for Columnar Store PostgreSQL](http://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1601/?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)Cstore the open source columnar (which popular databases such as Vertical and Redshift are as well) extension has a new update. The update is primarily around better I/O and disk usage. postgresql.​org [Intercom is looking for Software Engineers for our product team in Dublin, Ireland](https://intercom.workable.com/jobs/64782?utm_source=postgresweekly&utm_medium=email)Our product teams are multidisciplinary with design, frontend and backend engineering combined. While specialisation is important, we dislike pigeonholing. Great engineers pick the best tools to build the best product. Intercom#job Postgres Weekly is curated by [Craig Kerstiens](https://twitter.com/craigkerstiens) [Read this issue on the Web](http://postgresweekly.com/issues/118) [See our archives](http://postgresweekly.com/issues) [Change your email address](*|UPDATE_PROFILE|*) [Stop getting this newsletter](*|UNSUB|*) Published by [Cooperpress](https://cooperpress.com/) Fairfield Enterprise Centre, Lincoln Way, Louth, LN11 0LS, UK