Top 3 Sample Databases for PostgreSQL

If a developer is attempting to learn a new process or test some code, it’s best to utilize a test environment such as a sandbox rather than the production server. A sandbox environment is the place where there are scenarios like the real world but no real world data. It is a secure environment where users can try out various new features, learnings and technology experiments in a safe zone without using or taking up production server space or bandwidth.

It is quite easy to set up sandbox environment but it is not easy to setup a real world scenario in a database. This is when the user needs a sample database. In this article we will go over various sample databases for PostgreSQL databases.

Sample Database 1: Pagila

MySQL has very popular database called Sakila. Lots of people who are moving from MySQL often miss the sample database Sakila. However, Pagila database helps this particular situation where a user is looking for the Sakila database in a PostgreSQL database.

You can download PostgreSQL Sample Database Pagila from here: http://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-sample-database/

The DVD rental database is created from Sakila sample database of MySQL. The DVD rental database represents business processes of a DVD rental store. Here are few of the objects from DVD rental database:

• 15 tables

• 1 trigger

• 7 views

• 8 functions

• 1 domain

• 13 sequences

Sample Database 2: SportDB

Here is another very interested database which works for MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server. The major purpose of SporsDB is make use of a database schema designed from the top down.

As per the SportsDB’s official documentations:

SportsDB enables streamlined coding techniques, where possible, through adoption of naming standards accessible to many popular model-view-controller publishing software frameworks.

You can download the sample database from here: http://www.sportsdb.org/sd/samples

Sample Database 3: pgFoundry Samples

Most of the database systems provide samples database with their products. If you ever search online for PostgreSQL database there are plenty of databases available online. However the most trusted ones are from pgFoundry Samples. I strongly encourage everyone to try any of the pdFoundry samples if they are interested in working with reliable sample database for PostgresSQL.

Here is the list of the sample database listed on the pgFoundry site.

• World

• Dellstore2

• Pagila

• Book Town

• FreeBase

• DBPedia

• Openstreetmap

You can download all of the above sample databases from the link: https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Sample_Databases

Conclusion

In this article we discussed and viewed a sample PostgreSQL database. From the examples, we were able to see how DBAs and developers create real world scenarios on their development and sandbox environment.

Next Steps

You may also be interested in the paper Top 10 Considerations for Choosing Database Tools – Beyond the Feature Matrix. Read how considering just the feature matrix for a database tool can be a mistake. This top 10 guide provides valuable insights that can directly impact your personal productivity (and sanity).

Embarcadero’s database tools provide deep support for the industry’s leading database platforms, including PostgreSQL. Our robust solutions support the entire database lifecycle. Learn more about DBArtisan, the premier cross-platform database administration solution, and try DBArtisan now!