Azure Database for PostgreSQL Version 11 Available

Azure Database for PostgreSQL, a managed service for hosting PostgreSQL databases, made PostgreSQL 11 generally available in July 2019. PostgreSQL is an open source, relational database management system. It is a popular alternative to SQL Server because it is simple to deploy and costs less to license. The Azure service is maintained by Microsoft, which allows developers to quickly deploy and scale environments, and it includes high availability and other advanced features. PostgreSQL version 11 was released by the PostgreSQL community in Oct. 2018. It includes performance updates via new database partitioning and parallel processing, and new programming options using stored procedures and Windows functions. Migrating to version 11 will be attractive for customers with high-end and compute-intensive applications, especially those considering the service’s new Hyperscale deployment option (currently in preview) that supports databases greater than 100GB with sub-second response times. The service still supports PostgreSQL versions 9.5 and higher. Microsoft has not announced the end of support for older versions, but typically they will support only the latest two versions, so customers should plan to upgrade older databases in the near future. Database services are discussed in the Azure Roadmap at https://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/roadmap/ref/database-services-postgresql-mysql-mariadb.