PostgreSQL management and migration workflows

Technical workflows for managing PostgreSQL databases include methods for streamlined connections and large-scale migrations. For frequent users of the psql command line client, connection parameters can be managed using a service file (~/.pg_service.conf) in an INI-style format. To avoid storing sensitive credentials in service files, a separate ~/.pgpass file can be used, utilizing a colon-delimited format to store host, port, database, username, and password information.

In cloud environments, migrating multi-terabyte PostgreSQL databases can be achieved using Google Cloud Platform’s Database Migration Service (DMS). A successful migration from version 13 to 16 is possible by skipping intermediate versions. This process requires the installation and configuration of pglogical on both source and destination databases. Key considerations during migration include using Terraform for connection profile provisioning and avoiding Data Definition Language (DDL) changes on the source database, as DMS does not replicate such changes to the destination.