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PostgreSQL: Enterprise traction, challenges ahead

Salesforce.com apparently has some company as it looks to hop on the PostgreSQL bandwagon, at least as a second database supplier, according to a survey.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

PostgreSQL, an open source database competitor to the likes of Oracle, is gaining traction in the enterprise, but there are still hurdles to adoption.

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The open source database has recently been garnering attention. PostgreSQL also got some play after Salesforce.com hired one of the leading contributors to the open source project. Salesforce runs on Oracle, which is also its largest rival, and apparently wants to diversify its database options.

Also: EnterpriseDB's Tom Kincaid — why did SalesForce.com hire PostgreSQL expert? | Open source: Its true cost and where it's going awry by Monty Widenius

A survey sponsored by EnterpriseDB, a company that provides PostgreSQL services, found the following:

  • 40 percent of PostgreSQL deployments in 2012 supported mission-critical applications.
  • Another 40 percent supported reporting functions.
  • Nearly 50 percent of users halved their database costs by 50 percent.
  • But 23 percent reported savings of 10 percent or less.
  • 29 percent of users said they'd gradually replace legacy databases with PostgreSQL.
  • 14 percent are using PostgreSQL in hybrid environments.
  • 45 percent said PostgreSQL's biggest challenge was management tools with another 36 percent citing performance as an issue.
  • 66 percent said they would continue PostgreSQL adoption despite challenges.

There are a few caveats worth noting. The first one is that EnterpriseDB sponsored the survey and can benefit by talking up PostgreSQL. The other item to note is that the survey is based on 150 respondents and 12 of the global 500.

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