PostgreSQL Database Service

Requesting a Database

To request a database, fill out the Request a PostgreSQL database form .

Using a Database

The server is running on postgres.cs.wisc.edu on port 5432.

Notes about Java

JDBC support is now included with the CSL’s PostgreSQL database server, with one primary caveat.

JDBC support is only available for password-based users. The JDBC drivers do not currently support Kerberos authentication, and thus you cannot connect “as yourself” to the database server using a Java/JDBC program. However, this does allow you to connect and use the database server with Java.

Please see the information below on password-based users for more information.

By default, your database will have public usage rights on the default schema public, but if a user is not granted the proper access to a particular table, he/she/it may not access it. Likewise, if you create a new schema (a way of organizing and keeping tables…a schema is like a directory and tables are like files), only you will initially have access rights. In order to share your tables, schemas, and other database objects, you will have to GRANT the appropriate access to others. Please research the GRANT and REVOKE commands on the PostgreSQL website . For instance, if you would like to give a web script (running as www-user) all access to read and write a specific table in your database, run the following after connecting to the database:

GRANT ALL ON [table] TO "www-user"; (The quotes are important)

Please keep in mind that anyone running a script as www-user will be able to access your database. Keep these caveats in mind when managing your database. For these reasons, we highly recommend that you do not give anything more than SELECT (read) access to your tables and USAGE access to your databases and schemas to PUBLIC (which is a PostgreSQL alias for “any user who can connect to your database”). Access should only be given to those who need it.

Please consult the PostgreSQL website for the most accurate, up to date information on the PostgreSQL authorization and authentication scheme.

Database Quotas

There are no official disk space or bandwidth quotas on postgres.cs.wisc.edu. However, please remember that many people and projects use this server. Therefore, please try to keep your database size and I/O bandwidth usage low (about 10 GB of raw data is a practical limit). If you have any specific questions or if you need to run intensive queries on a very large database, please contact the lab and we will do our best to resolve the issue. If you are creating problems for other users on postgres.cs.wisc.edu, the lab will attempt to contact and work with you to resolve the issue.

Additional features in PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is a very feature-rich database system, even in its base set. Included in the distribution are a number of useful, though non-default and occasionally unverified modules and server-side languages which can be activated on a per-database basis. For security and space considerations, we only activate the built-in PostgreSQL server-side language plpgsql by default. All other languages and modules are not activated by default, and must often be activated by an administrator.

If you need or would like one of these modules or languages in your database, please mail lab@cs.wisc.edu specifying the database, the module, and your reason for needing or wanting said module. Requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis and we will do what we can to get it installed in your database.

Password-Based Users

See PostgreSQL Password-Based Users Docs

For More Information

Official documentation for PostgreSQL is available at the PostgreSQL website .