Provide Postgresql support for Piwik

[anonymous-matomo-user]

I want to be able to use a postgres database (instead of mysql).

please see http://piwik.org/faq/how-to-install/#faq_55

Latest update: see the [Piwik fork with Postgresql support](https://github.com/sri-soham/piwik). Great contribution by Sridhar from the community
Keywords: wishlist

[robocoder]

See ticket #425.

[mattab]

Thank you for the suggestion!
The piwik team decided to not support Postgresql as it would make the development process much harder for us, for a quite small number of users requesting Postgresql.

Piwik officially supports MySQL only for now.

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Let’s go here : http://github.com/klando/pgpiwik/tree/master

If you are interesting, then :

git clone git://github.com/klando/pgpiwik.git

[anonymous-matomo-user]

too bad. I would have loved to see this happen. I would say that people that would use postgres would rival that of mysql.

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Do I interpret right that you expect to have more tickets opened to request postgres? :-) I usually don’t even bother to check a mysql-only project, let alone open a bug about it in their project, so your assumption about the size of the postgresql userbase may be extremely skewed.

Apart from letting you know that many people use db other than mysql it is a bit more important to note that even php makes it possible to write db backend independent code, which could support nearly any database backends, including, but not limited to psql and sqlite. I do not believe it would visibly make development harder to use standard SQL and standard DB API, since at a first blick your code is pretty much mysql independent (only a few places may require tuning) and you seem to use backend independent code (at least you include it in the distribution). So it may only required a few changes here and there. Pity I do not like php at all, so I cannot offer to patch it up, and you’d rejct anyway from an outsider. ;-)

So, please consider to use database backend independent code and API. It would be nice and The Right Thing®™.

[robocoder]

Re-closing. This is a resource issue; not a techical one.

We need people to step up to:
- implement the changes to core
- provide ongoing support to end users
- test releases for regressions
- maintain the backend as development continues

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Replying to [vipsoft](comment:7):

> Re-closing. This is a resource issue; not a techical one.
>
> We need people to step up to:
> – implement the changes to core
> – provide ongoing support to end users
> – test releases for regressions
> – maintain the backend as development continues
- I have implement change to core,
- I provide ongoing support via mail and via irc freenode #piwik (well, it is irc, ask, wait, wait,wait, answer)
- I didn’t have test yet, but I saw that your are in the pocess of Zendify so, it will be easy.
- I merge with the svn as soon as I am aware of svnchanges (despite the fact that the ML for svncommits is down, so I have to check from time to time)

[mattab]

A good ressource to read by wordpress team: http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Alternative_Databases

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Well, since Piwik uses ZF for database handling, it wouldn't be that hard, "just" editing the SQL statements to be compatible with other DBMS. I see further problems in plugin development, there will be coder who make their plugins only MySQL compatible.
I don't know how many people here would like to see their Piwik with postgres, but I think it can be done if we work together.

[robocoder]

Blockers:

• hooks to pre-process queries - http://lists.piwik.org/pipermail/piwik-hackers/2009-February/000597.html
• remove ON DUPLICATE #630 - ON DUPLICATE
• Proposal spec for schema and code updates for logging pageviews, downloads, outlinks #708 - crc()
• MySQL error codes #904 - MySQL error codes

[anonymous-matomo-user]

I'm keeping MySQL on my VPS just because Piwik requires it. I decided to start support for PostgreSQL in Piwik, the plugin approach seems the right first try. When it stabilizes in my production VPS, I'll report here.

[anonymous-matomo-user]

I strongly ask for Postgres support as MySQL has various bugs and critical problems (like security, speed, scaling).

Supporting any database is very easy. Everybody knows that plain SQL queries within sourcecode are a big risks, because some people know how to write good queries, others don't. Injection and speed issues are unavoidable.

There must be something like http://search.cpan.org/~abraxxa/DBIx-Class-0.08195/lib/DBIx/Class.pm for PHP. Switching shouldn't take that much time, if you still use plain queries in sourcecode, and will greatly improve security and portability.

PS: MySQL is already on it's way to become payware and I doubt that many users would pay for it just to use Piwik :-)

[anonymous-matomo-user]

I'm interested to use Piwik with Postgresql too !

Right now, the only reason why i'm still using Google Analytics is because Piwik don't support pgsql...

Is there any chance to use piwik with alternatives databases soon ?

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Replying to grin:

I usually don't even bother to check a mysql-only project, let alone open a bug about it in their project, so your assumption about the size of the postgresql userbase may be extremely skewed.

+1 for Postgres support
(I registered just to reduce the skewing effect)

[anonymous-matomo-user]

Another +1 for PostgreSQL support. Piwik is a really nice piece of software, but I definitely won't install another DBMS so I can use it.