How to Break Your PostgreSQL IIoT Database and Learn Something in the Process

In "How to Break Your PostgreSQL IIoT Database and Learn Something in the Process," Douglas Pagnutti discusses the importance of stress testing databases used in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) much like how engineers test physical prototypes. Stress testing is crucial for identifying bottlenecks, optimizing configurations, and understanding real-world behaviors of a database under heavy load. Pagnutti emphasizes measuring various metrics like table size, performance, and server capacity during these tests to gain insightful data for future infrastructure planning. The article advises against conducting such tests in production environments due to potential system overloads and underscores the importance of using simulations that mimic real-world data ingestion rates. Additionally, the author provides strategies for interpreting test results, such as identifying limitations, optimizing performance through indexing, and planning for future hardware needs. The piece concludes by encouraging engineers to treat database testing with the same rigor as physical product testing to create robust and scalable IIoT systems.