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How much PostgreSQL do you run? Because I am a primarily PostgreSQL dev who occasionally uses MSSQL and MySQL. I always get annoyed at missing features when I have to use another database, while I do not know as well what features are missing in PostgreSQL simply because I know PostgreSQL way better than I know the other databases. It is easy to be blind this way.

Some features which PostgreSQL have which I believe are missing for MSSQL. This are features I use all the time in my every day work.

  - Transactional DDL concurrently with snapshot isolation
  - Exclusion constraints: a generalized form of unique constraints
  - "Writable-CTEs": the ability to use RETURNING from an UPDATE, INSERT or DELETE in a CTE
  - Regular expression support (I think fixed in 2016)
  - JSON support (I think fixed in 2016)
  - Many small things like lack of DISTINCT ON and array_agg
I think MSSQL is a pretty good database though, unlike MySQL which lacks too many features to be a competitive general purpose RDBMs (InnoDB has some nice properties though).


DISTINCT ON if I recall correctly is a Postgres-specific extension, and is rather like a shortcut to an OVER WINDOW query selecting where RANK() = 1.

And I love it, but I wouldn't be expecting it to show up in MSSQL.




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