PostgreSQL Command-Line and Graphical Tools

Summary

In this chapter, we looked at some of the tools we have at our disposal for getting the most out of PostgreSQL. The standard distribution comes with the command-line tool, psql, which is capable of carrying out most of the operations we need for creating and maintaining databases.

Database administration can be carried out on a client machine using the very capable pgAdmin III tool or over a network using the browser-based phpPgAdmin tool.

We can view data, design queries graphically, and create data-entry forms using Rekall, for free on Linux, and through a commercial product on Windows.

We can use Microsoft Office products, including Excel and Access, to manipulate and report on data held in a PostgreSQL database. This allows us to combine the scalability and reliability of the PostgreSQL system running on a UNIX or Linux platform with the easy use of familiar tools.

Now that we’ve reviewed some of the PostgreSQL tools, in the next chapter, we will return to the topic of using SQL to handle the data in a PostgreSQL database, focusing on inserting, updating, and deleting data.