Indexes, JSONB, window functions, CTEs, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, and the query optimizer. This is not a beginner SQL course — it's the PostgreSQL knowledge that separates developers who fight their database from those who make it fly.
This is a text-first course that links out to the best supporting material on the internet instead of trying to replace it. The goal is to make this the best course on postgresql you can find — even without producing a single minute of custom video.
This course is built by engineers who ship postgresql systems for a living. It reflects how these tools actually behave in production — not how the documentation describes them.
Every day includes working code examples you can copy, run, and modify right now. The goal is understanding through doing, not passive reading.
Instead of re-explaining existing documentation, this course links to the definitive open-source implementations and the best reference material on postgresql available.
Each day is designed to finish in about an hour of focused reading plus hands-on work. Do the whole course over a week of lunch breaks. No calendar commitment, no live classes.
Each day stands alone. Read them in order for the full picture, or jump straight to the day that answers the question you have today.
The query planner, sequential vs index scans, cost estimation, statistics (ANALYZE), and reading your first EXPLAIN ANALYZE output. Understanding the planner is the foundation of everything else.
B-tree internals, partial indexes, expression indexes, covering indexes with INCLUDE, GIN for full-text search and JSONB, GiST for geometric data, and when each type wins.
JSONB vs JSON, operators and functions, GIN indexes on JSONB, jsonb_path_query, schema design patterns that mix relational and document models effectively.
OVER, PARTITION BY, ORDER BY in window context, ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG/LEAD, running totals, and the queries that would require self-joins without window functions.
ACID properties, isolation levels, advisory locks, deadlock detection, autovacuum and bloat, PgBouncer for connection pooling, and the production settings that matter.
Instead of shooting our own videos, we link to the best deep-dives already on YouTube. Watch them alongside the course. All external, all free, all from builders who ship this stuff.
How B-tree, GIN, and partial indexes work internally, when each type applies, and how to verify index usage with EXPLAIN.
How to interpret the EXPLAIN ANALYZE output — cost, rows, actual vs estimated, and how to use it to fix slow queries.
OVER, PARTITION BY, ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG/LEAD — the window function patterns that replace complex self-joins.
Storing and querying semi-structured data with JSONB, GIN indexes, and jsonb_path — when to use PostgreSQL as a document store.
Configuration parameters that matter — shared_buffers, work_mem, autovacuum settings, and connection pooling with PgBouncer.
The best way to deepen understanding is to read the canonical open-source implementations. Clone them, trace the code, understand how the concepts in this course get applied in production.
The PostgreSQL source. The /src/backend/optimizer directory is the query planner — reading it reveals why the cost-based optimizer makes the decisions it does.
PostgreSQL performance monitoring tool. The open-source query analysis logic is a practical reference for understanding slow query patterns.
PostgreSQL configuration calculator and reference. Use it to generate sane starting configuration values for your hardware profile.
Fast PostgreSQL log analyzer. Run it against your pg logs to find the slowest queries, lock waits, and connection storms.
You added an index and it helped. Now you need to understand why, and what to do when indexes aren't enough. That's this course.
PostgreSQL is the right database for the vast majority of applications. This course gives you the depth to use it correctly from day one.
PostgreSQL is a powerful analytical database. Window functions, CTEs, and JSONB make it competitive with dedicated analytics tools for many workloads.
The 2-day in-person Precision AI Academy bootcamp covers database engineering and PostgreSQL in depth — hands-on, with practitioners who build AI systems for a living. 5 U.S. cities. $1,490. 40 seats max. June–October 2026 (Thu–Fri).
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