Minutes ago we converted the last of our 72 Circuit Court databases (one in each county in the state) from a commercial
databaseproduct to PostgreSQL. The conversions went smoothly, with many people commenting on their apprehensions and
theirpleasant surprise that everything "just worked". We had many people comment on the improved performance. One
Clerkof Court apologized for not knowing the right terminology, but said that everything was "just crisper and
snappier."
Due to the smooth roll-out and the stable functioning of the software under PostgreSQL, we were able to convince
managementto let us accelerate the deployment. We have converted as many as eleven counties per week, finishing months
aheadof the original schedule. One of my colleagues single-handedly converted six counties in a single evening within
threehours of the user logging out.
I would like to thank the entire PostgreSQL community for the helpful observations and suggestions as we learned how to
workwith PostgreSQL. The PostgreSQL mailing lists are an invaluable resource, both as a searchable knowledge base and
aset of live discussion forums. I apologize for those times when I've cluttered the lists with what I thought were
PostgreSQLproblems, which turned out to be my own errors; I appreciate the nudges back toward reality. I hope that
nobodywill take offense if I specifically recognize Tom Lane for his amazing combination of energy, technical acumen,
andpatience.
We couldn't have done it without you guys. The level and quality of help provided on the PostgreSQL mailing lists puts
allother software support I've ever dealt with to shame, and I've been in the business now for 35 years.
-Kevin
