June 2020 Summaries

YugabyteDB, a distributed SQL database, offers various query metrics through the `pg_stat_statements` extension, which can be viewed via the "YSQL All Ops" link on the server's utility page or by querying the data directly. The best way to check if a row exists is to use the `EXISTS` keyword with a subquery, as it returns a boolean value instead of `NULL`. YugabyteDB also supports regular expression queries and getting the current timestamp in YSQL, but users must be aware of the differences between plain and timestamp columns. The database has new documentation, blogs, tutorials, and videos available, including topics on polymorphism, GraphQL, and distributed SQL.

Polymorphism in SQL part two – variadic functions is a topic related to PostgreSQL and its variant YSQL, which allows users to create user-defined functions with dynamically determined return values using the "anyelement" and "anyarray" pseudo-types. The "variadic" keyword is also used to create functions that can accept a comma-separated list of any number of input actual arguments. These features are useful for implementing aggregate functions in a polymorphic way, allowing them to be used outside the context of SQL subqueries. The implementation of these functions requires careful consideration of the data types involved and how they relate to each other. The use of "anyelement" and "anyarray" pseudo-types allows for a more flexible and powerful approach to function implementation, while the "variadic" keyword provides a convenient way to handle variable-length input arguments.

The PostgreSQL database management system implements polymorphism, a concept that allows functions or procedures to behave differently based on the data type of their input parameters. The "anyelement" pseudo-type enables declaring a function's formal parameter with a dynamically determined return value, while the "anyarray" pseudo-type allows creating an array of any data type. By utilizing these pseudo-types, developers can write polymorphic subprograms that adapt to different input values without having to create multiple versions of their code for each data type. This approach simplifies maintenance and improves flexibility in database applications.

YugabyteDB Docs has been updated with new content and improvements, including enhancements to search functionality, such as displaying only the latest version of documentation when searching on Google. New pages have also been added, covering topics like YugabyteDB Architecture, Hash and range sharding, Replication, Persistence, YugabyteDB APIs, and more. The documentation now includes improved explanations, examples, and best practices for using YugabyteDB core features, such as YSQL and YCQL. Additionally, the Yugabyte Platform has been updated with new features like backup and restore functionality, scheduling data backups, and a Community Heroes program to encourage user contributions.

The text discusses the power of advanced RDBMS features in PostgreSQL, specifically partial and expression indexes. A partial index is built over a subset of rows in a table defined by a conditional expression, reducing the size of the index and speeding up queries that use the index. In contrast, an expression index allows access to tables based on computed results from one or more columns of the underlying table, enabling fast access to tables based on the results of computations. The text highlights the differences between partial and expression indexes, providing examples of their usage in a PostgreSQL database, including a case where a partial unique index is used to ensure that no two users have the same non-null email address.

This summary highlights the key points of the text. JAMstack is an architectural pattern that allows web applications to be fully functional and robust without relying on application servers. The four primary benefits of adopting a JAMstack architecture are higher performance, stronger security, cost-effective scaling, and a better developer experience. GatsbyJS is a popular static site generator that can help get started with JAMstack. Hasura is a GraphQL engine that can be used to create a CRUD backend, and YugabyteDB is a PostgreSQL-compatible distributed SQL database that can be used as the backend for Hasura. The author sets up YugabyteDB, creates a Hasura cluster, and configures Gatsby to use Hasura's GraphQL API. They also set up GraphQL subscriptions using Apollo Client to fetch real-time data from the database. The summary highlights the ability of JAMstack with Gatsby, Hasura, and YugabyteDB to provide both SEO-friendly static markup and real-time dynamic updates.

YugabyteDB has achieved several milestones, including reaching 4000 GitHub stars and 100+ open source contributors. The company is committed to social justice, employee safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and open source principles, with all its features available under an Apache 2.0 license. The community is encouraged to contribute to the project through code, documentation, or helping others, with opportunities for recognition through the new Community Heroes program. The company also integrates with popular open source projects, hosts community events, and rewards community members who install YugabyteDB on their platforms. Additionally, YugabyteDB has launched a charitable giving initiative, donating funds from virtual events to charity.

Yugabyte has raised $30 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round led by 8VC, with participation from Wipro Ventures and existing investors, Lightspeed and Dell Technologies Capital. This funding validates the company's focus on building a best-in-class distributed SQL database for the cloud. The investment also highlights the growing market demand for a revolutionary distributed SQL database like YugabyteDB, which is serving the immediate market need for a 100% open source, high-performance relational database that can run on any cloud or Kubernetes environment without vendor lock in. With this new round of funding, Yugabyte plans to scale its adoption and accelerate investments in R&D, sales, support, and marketing to simplify data infrastructure for modern cloud applications. The company is also hiring and welcomes all to apply.

The YugabyteDB Operator is now certified and available as a Beta release on Red Hat OpenShift, a leading enterprise Kubernetes platform. This certification enables customers to deploy YugabyteDB with confidence, backed by collaborative support between Red Hat and Yugabyte. The operator allows developers to run YugabyteDB clusters on OpenShift using cloud native practices, such as scaling and managing workloads using CI/CD pipelines. It provides Kubernetes native management capabilities, defines Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs), handles lifecycle events, and manages YugabyteDB running in pods. To deploy a YugabyteDB cluster, customers can install the operator in their OpenShift environment and create a custom resource to define parameters such as replication factor, master pod count, and T-server pod count. The operator creates a new YBCluster CRD, statefulsets, and bootstraps necessary services for the database, resulting in a YugabyteDB cluster available within minutes.