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Databases - Practical PostgreSQL
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Understanding Databases

While PostgreSQL is commonly considered an RDBMS, or a "database," it may not be commonly understood what is meant specifically by the word database . A database within PostgreSQL is an object-relational implementation of what is formally called a schema in SQL99.

Put simply, a database is a stored set of data that is logically interrelated. Typically, this data can be accessed in a multiuser environment. This is the case with PostgreSQL, though there are well-defined rights and restrictions enforced with that access.

It may not be commonly understood that PostgreSQL can have several databases concurrently available, each with their own owner, and each with their own unique tables, views, indices, sequences, and functions.

In order to create a table, function, or any other database object, you must connect to a specific database via a PostgreSQL client . Once connected, you can create an object, which is then owned by the connected database, and therefore is inaccessible from any other database (though a client may have several connections open to different databases).

By keeping fundamental data objects segregated into their own databases in this fashion, you run a smaller risk of running into a naming collision by choosing a table name already chosen for another purpose (e.g., if two users each wanted to have a table called products for two separate applications). This is because neither database has any knowledge of the other database's components, and will not attempt to make any kind of logical relationship between them. Furthermore, as the same rule applies to object-relational data objects, users may even create functions and language definitions within their database that are inaccessible to other users connected to other databases running within PostgreSQL.

By default, PostgreSQL installs only one functional database, which is called template1 to represent the template nature of the database. Any database created after template1 is essentially a clone, inheriting any of its database objects, including table structure, functions, languages, etc. It is not uncommon to create a default database for new PostgreSQL users with the same name as their PostgreSQL username, as PostgreSQL will attempt to connect to a database with the same name as the connecting user if a database name is not specified.

Databases - Practical PostgreSQL
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