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Database Technology

Monday, September 14, 2026 · 7 stories, curated & summarized — click any story for the source.

Christophe Pettus highlights that while max_identifier_length defaults to 63, the critical behavior in PostgreSQL is silent truncation rather than rejection. Unlike MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle which fail the statement when limits are exceeded, PostgreSQL automatically cuts off excess characters. This design choice can lead to naming collisions or unexpected schema changes if identifiers are generated dynamically without length checks.

  • PostgreSQL truncates identifiers exceeding the limit instead of throwing an error.
  • Silent truncation risks name collisions in dynamic schema generation.
  • Contrasts with MySQL/SQL Server/Oracle which reject oversized names.
  • Validate identifier lengths in application code to prevent silent data issues.

The Swiss PostgreSQL Users Group and CERN have announced CERN PGDay 2027, scheduled for Friday, February 12, 2027. The single-track event will feature 6-7 sessions followed by a networking social, focusing on practical experiences and the future of PostgreSQL. It serves as the annual gathering for users and developers in western Switzerland and neighboring French regions.

  • Event date is Feb 12, 2027, at the CERN Campus in Geneva.
  • Co-organized by CERN and Swiss PostgreSQL Users Group (SwissPUG).
  • Single-track format with 6-7 sessions plus a networking event.
  • Target audience includes users, developers, and enthusiasts locally.
  • Call for Papers is now open via the SwissPUG homepage.
BY THE NUMBERSCERN PGDay 2027 Highlights6-7Sessions Planned for EventSingle-track format at CERN Campus Geneva
AWS What's New awsdatabase ↺ since 09-12

RDS for Oracle adds July 2026 Supplemental Patch Bundle support

Amazon RDS for Oracle now supports the Supplemental Patch Bundle (SPB) for the July 2026 Release Update, covering engine versions 19c and 26ai. Oracle renamed the Spatial Patch Bundle to SPB starting in April 2026 to include patches for Spatial, Data Pump, and GoldenGate. Practitioners can apply this update to new instances or upgrade existing ones to specific engine versions via the RDS console.

  • SPB replaces the former Spatial Patch Bundle, expanding scope to Data Pump and GoldenGate.
  • Supports Oracle Database 19c and 26ai engines on Amazon RDS.
  • Apply via new instance creation or by upgrading existing instances to SPB engine versions.
  • Target version strings are 19.0.0.0.ru-2026-07.spb-1.r1 and 26.0.0.0.ru-2026-07.spb-1.r1.
  • Check the 'Supplemental Patch Bundle Engine Versions' box during upgrade workflows.
TRADE-OFFSpatial vs Supplemental BundleOld Spatial BundleLimited to Spatial patches onlyRenamed in April 2026Excluded Data Pump and GoldenGateNew SPBCovers Spatial, Data…Available for July 2026 RUSupports 19c and 26ai enginesvs
AWS Database Blog awsdatabase ↺ since 09-12

AWS Zero-ETL Moves DynamoDB to DuckDB via Apache Iceberg

AWS introduces a zero-ETL integration that replicates Amazon DynamoDB tables into Apache Iceberg format on Amazon S3 Tables. An AWS Lambda function executes DuckDB to serve ad hoc SQL queries against this data, authorized via IAM. This setup allows practitioners to perform analytics on operational DynamoDB data without building custom ETL pipelines.

  • Eliminates custom ETL code by using native DynamoDB-to-Iceberg replication.
  • Leverages DuckDB for fast, in-process SQL analytics on S3-stored data.
  • Lambda function exposes queries via an IAM-secured function URL.
  • Data lands in Apache Iceberg format for broader ecosystem compatibility.
HOW IT WORKSZero-ETL Analytics Pipeline1DynamoDB replicates to S32Data lands in Iceberg3Lambda executes DuckDB4IAM secures access5SQL queries return results
AWS Database Blog awsdatabase ↺ since 09-10

Async Python Rideshare App with Tortoise ORM and Aurora DSQL

AWS demonstrates building a high-concurrency async Python application using Tortoise ORM and Amazon Aurora DSQL. The guide details specific adaptations required for this stack, including the use of UUID primary keys and IAM-authenticated connections via asyncpg. It also covers necessary infrastructure tweaks like a connection-pool patch and individual DDL execution to ensure stability.

  • Use UUID primary keys for better distribution in async workloads.
  • Implement IAM authentication with asyncpg for secure, managed access.
  • Apply a connection-pool patch to handle asyncpg compatibility.
  • Execute DDL statements individually to avoid transaction conflicts.
  • Add optimistic concurrency control retry logic for data integrity.
PostgreSQL News database ↺ since 09-11

PostgreSQL Migrator 1.0 stable released for Oracle and MySQL migrations

Dalibo has released PostgreSQL Migrator 1.0, a free open-source tool for moving databases from Oracle and MySQL/MariaDB to PostgreSQL. The tool offers an interactive web UI, offline catalog inspection, and complexity scoring to assess migration difficulty. It handles schema and data conversion, including datatype mapping and SQL expression transpilation.

  • Zero proprietary dependencies: pure Go binary ensures easy installation.
  • Offline workflow: extract source catalog once, then iterate conversions without connectivity.
  • Complexity scoring helps prioritize and compare migration project risks.
  • Interactive UI allows browsing original and converted catalogs to spot blockers.
CHECKLISTMigrate with ConfidenceInstall pure Go binary with zero dependenciesExtract source catalog for offline iterative conversionUse complexity scoring to prioritize project risksBrowse original and converted catalogs via UI
PostgreSQL News database ↺ since 09-11

pg_vault_tde v1.7.1 Adds Postgres 18 Support, Fixes TOAST Auth Bug

The pg_vault_tde extension has reached version 1.7.1, extending transparent data encryption support to PostgreSQL 17 and 18. It utilizes an encrypted_heap table access method with AES-256-GCM, offloading key management to HashiCorp Vault, OpenBao, HSMs, or local wallets. This release corrects an Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AAD) derivation issue affecting out-of-line TOAST values.

  • PostgreSQL 18 is now supported alongside version 17 for TDE capabilities.
  • TOAST data encrypted by v1.7.0 or earlier will fail authentication; tables must be re-exported.
  • Key rotation remains online and per-table, with keys stored externally from the DB.
  • Requires OpenSSL 3.x and proper shared_preload_libraries configuration.
BY THE NUMBERSAES-256-GCM Encryption Standard256Bit encryption key strengthUsed by pg_vault_tde for data protection
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