Now that your introduction to PostgreSQL is complete, there are
several places to proceed. We have provided the following list
as a synopsis of the rest of the book. This is a guideline, so to speak, of
what you need to read next.
If you would like to install PostgreSQL 7.1.x at this time, then you
may continue to Chapter 2.
If you are new to the SQL language and database queries, then you may continue to Chapter 3.
Note that although many of the concepts introduced in Chapter 3 are of a general nature, some of
the techniques and concepts presented are specific to PostgreSQL, and should not be overlooked if you want a
comprehensive understanding of the software.
If you are already familiar with the SQL language and statement structure, you may be more interested in Chapter 4, Chapter 5, or Chapter 7.
If you have a working knowledge of PostgreSQL as an end user and you would like to begin setting up the database
server, database users and groups, and authentication, then you may skip to Part III in Practical PostgreSQL. This part was written
to aid system administrators in initializing, configuring, and managing newly installed or existing PostgreSQL
databases.
If you are familiar with PostgreSQL as a database-management system and would like to move directly into technical
programming concepts and techniques, read through Part IV in Practical PostgreSQL. This part of the book contains documentation on
PL/pgSQL, the native PostgreSQL procedural language, as well as information and examples on the JDBC interface and the
LXP web-based application server.
