>As a plug, though ... I'm hooked on EMS PostgreSQL Manager 2.0. I'd have
>to say that I'd not be as much of a PostgreSQL supporter if it weren't for
>this client tool. I think EMS did the 'making it friendly to the
>developer'
>that was sorely lacking in stock PostgreSQL client tools. Kudos.
This is a good point.
Postgres the db is great. psql is fine but you have to know it well to get
the most out of it, and you need to know which views and tables to query
to make "sense" of your database (when you're away from your DB data
models etc).
For the newbie (myself included) this can be daunting and hard. Coupled
with 'light' documentation, this presents a learning curve which is
significant if you've never used an enterprise level db before, and you're
floundering around with the difference between databases, schemas and
users (etc).
I have found pgAdmin III to be an absolute godsend - this product is
brilliant. With it, I can see all databases, schemas, objects, and grants
quickly and clearly. This one tool turned postgres into an absolute joy to
use (in much the same way that TOAD makes Oracle a joy to use).
I reckon that I use psql and pgAdmin III in equal proportion, but for me
it's pgAdmin III that makes postgres compelling and blindingly good.
John Sidney-Woollett