Migrate your site from MySQL to PostgreSQL -- Part 2

Resources for Further Reading

The first and foremost PostgreSQL resource can be found at the PostgreSQL Non-FAQ Documentation Site. This valuable resource provides an extensive list of books, quick references, tech guides, and even jobs. It also has a list of resources on changing back-end databases from MySQL to Postgres, as well as troubleshooting help and information on everything PostgreSQL.

Another good PostgreSQL-provided resource is the PostgreSQL Interactive Documentation, where you'll find out anything there is to find out about using PostgreSQL.

Xach Beane, famous for his work on The GIMP, has also written a script to convert MySQL dumps to Postgres dumps. His script handles a few more things than covered in my article series, so check it out. Of course, it doesn't handle things flawlessly, so you may have to use it warily.

Dobrica Pavlinusic has also written a script that handles MySQL to Postgres conversion. Note again that the source claims its own inability to handle some things, so you may have to just resort to hand editing as explained in my previous article.

A very thorough PostgreSQL & PHP tutorial can be found here. It starts at installation and goes on right through to explain from the beginning how to use PostgreSQL. This tutorial should be required reading for beginners.

Bruce Momjohan has written a book on PostgreSQL called PostgreSQL: Introduction and Concepts, published by Addison Wesley. You can even view it online!

Finally, OpenDocs is publishing Practical PostgreSQL in conjunction with O'Reilly. The book is due to be out in the beginning of October, 2001, but you can read it on the OpenDocs Linuxports.com site.

Moving your site's back-end from MySQL to PostgreSQL is a wise choice. Converting your site takes time and dedication, but by following the proper steps, your site can rest upon a more robust database system with many more options for future expansion. Like me, you won't regret it!

Happy Coding!