Postgres 17 is now available on Neon, providing users with new features such as the enhanced MERGE command with RETURNING clause, which streamlines queries by allowing conditional insertions, updates, or deletions without multiple queries. The improved random() function now accepts range parameters for generating random integers within a specified range, useful for tasks like creating test data. Additionally, Postgres 17 introduces JSON_TABLE to transform JSON data into a relational format, simplifying JSON data manipulation. The new sslnegotiation=direct parameter reduces connection latency by skipping unnecessary SSL negotiation steps, enhancing connection speeds even on older Postgres versions. The EXPLAIN command has been upgraded to report memory usage during query planning, helping users identify resource-intensive queries. While minor version upgrades on Neon occur automatically, manual steps are required for major version upgrades, and users should check for extension support before upgrading to Postgres 17.