Announcing a new IDE for PostgreSQL in VS Code from Microsoft
We are excited to announce the public preview of the brand-new PostgreSQL extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code), designed to simplify PostgreSQL database management and development workflows. With this extension, you can now manage database objects, draft queries with intelligent assistance from context-aware IntelliSense and our ‘@pgsql’ GitHub Copilot agent—all without ever leaving your favorite code editor. Addressing Developer Challenges Many of you face hurdles in managing time effectively, with 41% of developers struggling with task-switching, according to the 2024 StackOverflow Developer Survey. Additionally, the 2024 Stripe Developer Coefficient Report reveals that developers spend up to 50% of their time debugging and troubleshooting code and databases. These inefficiencies are further compounded by the absence of integrated tools that unify database management and application development. The PostgreSQL extension for VS Code addresses these challenges head-on by integrating Postgres database tools and the @pgsql GitHub Copilot agent, providing a unified application development and database management experience. By integrating robust features such as Entra ID authentication for centralized identity management and deep Azure Database for PostgreSQL integration, this extension empowers you to focus on building innovative applications rather than wrestling with fragmented workflows. Key Features The public preview release of the PostgreSQL extension for VS Code introduces a suite of powerful new capabilities that enhance productivity and streamline development for application developers working with Postgres. Schema Visualization Schema visualization is a breeze with our ‘right-click’ context menu options. o Right-click on the database entry in the Object Explorer and select “Visualize Schema” Single click to expand. Database aware GitHub Copilot AI assistance directly within VS Code providing PostgreSQL database context reduces the PostgreSQL learning curve and improves developer productivity. Simplified interaction with PostgreSQL databases and development tools using natural language. Commands such as "@pgsql" enable you to query databases, optimize schemas, and execute SQL operations with ease. Context menus, such as “Rewrite Query”, “Explain Query”, “Analyze Query Performance” provide AI Intelligence inside the query editor window. Real-time, expert-level guidance to help keep PostgreSQL databases performant and secure and improve code quality. PostgreSQL Copilot Context Menu Options Single click to expand. Using the PostgreSQL Copilot Context Menu, Single click to expand. GitHub Copilot Chat Agent Mode GitHub Copilot Chat agent mode provides a database context aware intelligent assistant that can perform multi-stage tasks, moving beyond the question-and-answer chat experience. Agent mode allows the Copilot to bring in additional context from your workspace and, with permission, it can write and debug code on its own. Agent mode transforms PostgreSQL development by providing real-time, AI-driven guidance that simplifies complex tasks like app prototyping, debugging, schema optimization, and performance tuning. In this example, we’ll ask the agent to create a new database on a specific server in my Saved Connections and enable the PostGIS extension. Single click to expand. The @pgsql agent begins by listing the server connections, connecting to the server ‘postgis’, drafts the script to modify the database and waits for permission to continue before making changes. Database modifications require explicit permission from the user. Add Database Connections with Ease Simplified connection management for local and cloud-hosted PostgreSQL instances. Support for multiple connection profiles and connection string parsing for easy setup. Direct browsing and filtering of Azure Database for PostgreSQL deployments. Integration with Entra ID for centralized security and identity management. Connect with ease to your existing Azure Database for PostgreSQL deployments with the “Browse Azure” option in the “Add New Connection” menu. Single click to expand. Connect to local Docker deployments with the Parameters or Connection String option. Single click to expand. Password-less authentication with Entra Id Streamlined Authentication: Eliminates the need for manual login, offering a seamless integration experience for you. Automatic Token Refresh: Ensures uninterrupted connectivity and minimizes the risk of authentication timeouts during development. Enhanced Security: Provides robust protection by leveraging Entra-ID's secure authentication protocols. Time Efficiency: Reduces overhead by automating token management, allowing you to focus on coding rather than administrative tasks. Enterprise Compatibility: Aligns with corporate security standards and simplifies access to PostgreSQL databases in enterprise environments. User Consistency: You can use your existing Entra-ID credentials, avoiding the need to manage separate accounts. Database Explorer Provides a structured view of database objects such as schemas, tables, and functions. Enables creation, modification, and deletion of database objects. Single click to expand. Query History Session query history is available below the Object Explorer. This allows you to quickly review previously run queries for reuse. Single click to expand. Query Editing with Context-aware IntelliSense Context-aware IntelliSense for auto-completion of SQL keywords, table names, and functions. Syntax highlighting and auto-formatting for improved query readability. Query history tracking for reusing previously executed queries. Single click to expand. What Sets the PostgreSQL Extension for VS Code Apart? The PostgreSQL extension for VS Code stands out in the crowded landscape of developer database management tools due to its unparalleled functionality and intuitive design. Here’s what makes it special: Enhanced Productivity: Features like context-aware IntelliSense and SQL formatting save time and minimize errors. pgsql GitHub Copilot Chat agent: Database and workspace context awareness, enabling smarter and more contextually relevant assistance for developers – combined with the ability to perform multi-step tasks. Streamlined Onboarding: The Connection Manager ensures you can get started within minutes. Improved Security: Entra ID integration provides robust access control and centralized identity management, including the ability to browse your Azure Database for PostgreSQL instances. Comprehensive Toolset: You can manage database objects, execute queries, and deploy instances all within VS Code. Seamless Cloud Integration: Deep integration with Azure Database for PostgreSQL simplifies cloud database management. Getting Started with the PostgreSQL extension for Visual Studio Code Installing the PostgreSQL extension for VS Code is simple: Open the Extensions view in VS Code. Search for "PostgreSQL" in the Extensions Marketplace. Select and install the Preview PostgreSQL extension with the blue elephant seen in the screenshot below. xtension ID: (ms-ossdata.vscode-pgsql) Also available in the online Visual Studio Code Marketplace. Enabling the PostgreSQL GitHub Copilot Chat You will need the GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot chat extensions installed in VS Code to be able to log into their GitHub Account and use "@pgsql" in the chat interface to interact with their PostgreSQL database. Feedback and Support We value your insights. Use the built-in feedback tool in VS Code to share your thoughts and report issues. Your feedback will help us refine the extension and ensure it meets the needs of the developer community. Regarding the standard preview license language included in this first release - Our goal is to ensure this extension is widely available and consumable by all Postgres users equally. We’re going to update the license. Stay tuned for updates. Get Started The PostgreSQL extension for VS Code offers significant enhancements to development efficiency and productivity. We encourage you to explore the public preview today and experience improved workflows with PostgreSQL databases. To learn more and get started, visit: https://aka.ms/pg-vscode-docs Special thanks to Jonathon Frost, Principal PM for all of his work on the @pgsql GitHub Copilot.General Availability of Graph Database Support in Azure Database for PostgreSQL
We are excited to announce the general availability of the Apache AGE extension for Azure Database for PostgreSQL! This marks a significant milestone in empowering developers and businesses to harness the potential of graph data directly within their PostgreSQL environments, offering fully managed graph database service. Unlocking Graph Data Capabilities Apache AGE (A Graph Extension) is a powerful PostgreSQL extension. It allows users to store and query graph data within Postgres seamlessly, enabling advanced insights through intuitive graph database queries via the openCypher query language. Graph data is instrumental in applications such as social networks, recommendation systems, fraud detection, network analysis, and knowledge graphs. By integrating Apache AGE into Azure Database for PostgreSQL, developers can now benefit from a unified platform that supports both relational and graph data models, unlocking deeper insights and streamlining data workflows. Benefits of Using Apache AGE in Azure Database for PostgreSQL The integration of Apache AGE (AGE) in Azure Database for PostgreSQL brings numerous benefits to developers and businesses looking to leverage graph processing capabilities: Enterprise-grade Managed Graph Database Service: AGE in Azure Database for PostgreSQL provides a fully managed graph database solution, eliminating infrastructure management while delivering built-in security, updates, and high availability. Simplified Data Management: AGE's ability to integrate graph and relational data simplifies data management tasks, reducing the need for separate graph database solutions. Enhanced Data Analysis: With AGE, you can perform complex graph analyses directly within your PostgreSQL database, gaining deeper insights into relationships and patterns in your data. Cost Efficiency: By utilizing AGE within Azure Database for PostgreSQL, you can consolidate your database infrastructure, lowering overall costs and reducing the complexity of your data architecture. Security and Compliance: Leverage Azure's industry-leading security and compliance features, ensuring your graph data is protected and meets regulatory requirements. Index Support: Index graph properties with BTREE and GIN indexes. Real-World Applications Apache AGE opens up a range of possibilities for graph-powered applications. Here are just a few examples: Social Networks: Model and analyze complex relationships, such as user connections and interactions. Fraud Detection: Identify suspicious patterns and connections in financial transactions. Recommendation Systems: Leverage graph data to deliver personalized product or content recommendations. Knowledge Graphs: Structure facts and concepts as nodes and relationships, enabling AI-driven search and data discovery. In the following example, we need to provide Procurement with an updated status of all statements of work (SOW) by vendor, including their invoice status. With AGE and Postgres, this once complex task becomes quite simple. We’ll start by creating the empty graph. SELECT ag_catalog.create_graph('vendor_graph'); Then, we’ll create all the ‘vendor’ nodes from the vendors table. SELECT * FROM ag_catalog.cypher( 'vendor_graph', $$ UNWIND $rows AS v CREATE (:vendor { id: v.id, name: v.name }) $$, ARRAY( SELECT jsonb_build_object('id', id, 'name', name) FROM vendors ) ); Next, we’ll create all the ‘sow’ nodes. SELECT * FROM ag_catalog.cypher( 'vendor_graph', $$ UNWIND $rows AS s CREATE (:sow { id: s.id, number: s.number }) $$, ARRAY( SELECT jsonb_build_object('id', id, 'number', number) FROM sows ) ); Then, we’ll create the ‘has_invoices’ relationships (edges). SELECT * FROM ag_catalog.cypher( 'vendor_graph', $$ UNWIND $rows AS r MATCH (v:vendor { id: r.vendor_id }) MATCH (s:sow { id: r.sow_id }) CREATE (v)-[:has_invoices { payment_status: r.payment_status, amount: r.invoice_amount }]->(s) $$, ARRAY( SELECT jsonb_build_object( 'vendor_id', vendor_id, 'sow_id', sow_id, 'payment_status', payment_status, 'invoice_amount', amount ) FROM invoices ) ); Now that we’ve completed these steps, we have a fully populated vendor_graph with vendor nodes, sow nodes, and has_invoices edges with the invoice attributes. We’re ready to query the graph to start our report for Procurement. SELECT * FROM ag_catalog.cypher('vendor_graph' , $$ MATCH (v:vendor)-[rel:has_invoices]->(s:sow) RETURN v.id AS vendor_id, v.name AS vendor_name, s.id AS sow_id, s.number AS sow_number, rel.payment_status AS payment_status, rel.amount AS invoice_amount $$) AS graph_query(vendor_id BIGINT, vendor_name TEXT, sow_id BIGINT, sow_number TEXT, payment_status TEXT, invoice_amount FLOAT); This statement invokes Apache AGE’s Cypher engine that treats our graph as a relational table: ag_catalog.cypher('vendor_graph', $$ … $$) executes the Cypher query against the graph named “vendor_graph.” The inner Cypher fragment, MATCH (v:vendor)-[rel:has_invoices]->(s:sow) RETURN v.id AS vendor_id, v.name AS vendor_name, s.id AS sow_id, s.number AS sow_number, rel.payment_status AS payment_status, rel.amount AS invoice_amount finds every vendor node with outgoing has_invoices edges to SOW nodes projects each vendor’s ID/name, the target sow’s ID/number, and invoice attributes. Wrapping that in … ) AS graph_query( vendor_id BIGINT, vendor_name TEXT, sow_id BIGINT, sow_number TEXT, payment_status TEXT, invoice_amount FLOAT ); tells PostgreSQL how to map each returned column into a regular SQL result set with proper types. The result? You get a standard table of rows—one per invoice edge—with those six columns populated and ready for further SQL joins, filters, aggregates, etc. Performance notes for this example: AGE will scan all “vendor–has_invoices–sow” paths in the graph. If the graph is large, consider an index on the vendor or sow label properties or filter by additional predicates. You can also push WHERE clauses into the Cypher fragment for more selective matching. Scaling to Large Graphs with AGE The Apache AGE extension in Azure Database for PostgreSQL enables seamless scaling to large graphs. Indexing plays a pivotal role in enhancing query performance, particularly for complex graph analyses. Effective Indexing Strategies To optimize graph queries, particularly those involving joins or range queries, implementing the following indexes is recommended: BTREE Index: Ideal for exact matches and range queries. For vertex tables, create an index on the unique identifier column (e.g., id). CREATE INDEX ON graph_name."VLABEL" USING BTREE (id); GIN Index: Designed for efficient searches within JSON fields, such as the properties column in vertex tables. CREATE INDEX ON graph_name."VLABEL" USING GIN (properties); Edge Table Indexes: For relationship traversal, use BTREE indexes on start_id and end_id columns. CREATE INDEX ON graph_name."ELABEL" USING BTREE (start_id); CREATE INDEX ON graph_name."ELABEL" USING BTREE (end_id); Example: Targeted Key-Value Indexing For targeted queries that focus on specific attributes within the JSON field, a smaller BTREE index can be created for precise filtering. CREATE INDEX ON graph_name.label_name USING BTREE (agtype_access_operator(VARIADIC ARRAY[properties, '"KeyName"'::agtype])); Using these indexing strategies ensures efficient query execution, even when scaling large graphs. Additionally, leveraging the EXPLAIN command helps validate index utilization and optimize query plans for production workloads. How to Get Started Enabling Apache AGE in Azure Database for PostgreSQL is simple: 1. Update Server Parameters Within the Azure Portal, navigate to the PostgreSQL Flexible Server instance and select the Server Parameters option. Adjust the following settings: azure.extensions: In the parameter filter, search for and enable AGE among the available extensions. shared_preload_libraries: In the parameter filter, search for and enable AGE. Click Save to apply these changes. The server will restart automatically to activate the AGE extension. Note: Failure to enable the shared_preload_libraries will result in the following error when you first attempt to use the AGE schema in a query. “ERROR: unhandled cypher(cstring) function call error on first cypher query” 2. Enable AGE Within PostgreSQL Once the server restart is complete, connect to the PostgreSQL instance using the psql interpreter. Execute the following command to enable AGE: CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS AGE CASCADE; 3. Configure Schema Paths AGE adds a schema called ag_catalog, which is essential for handling graph data. Ensure this schema is included in the search path by executing: SET search_path=ag_catalog,"$user",public; That’s it! You’re ready to create your first graph within PostgreSQL on Azure. Ready to dive in? Experience the power of graph data with Apache AGE on Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Visit AGE on Azure Database for PostgreSQL Overview for more details, and explore how this extension can transform your data analysis and application development. Get started for free with an Azure free accountBringing Generative AI to Your Data: Semantic Operators in Azure Database for PostgreSQL
by: Arda Aytekin, PhD, Principal Software Engineer; Binnur Gorer, PhD, Senior Software Engineer; Serdar Mumcu, Principal Software Engineer While vector search has been a crucial component in Generative AI (GenAI) applications and agents, it only scratches the surface of what is possible. Vector search often fails to capture the intricate semantic relationships within enterprise data, leading to a significant loss of valuable knowledge at the foundational level. This limitation restricts the agent’s ability to fully understand and reason about the data, as the semantic connections remain hidden and this loss propagates upward. However, with the increasing power, affordability, and accessibility of Large Language Models (LLMs), we now have the tools to uncover these semantic relationships and deliver more accurate results. Although Azure AI Foundry provides powerful APIs for working with these advanced AI models, integrating them into data-centric applications often requires orchestration layers and external services, which can add operational overhead. To eliminate this friction, we are introducing Semantic Operators—is_true, extract, generate, and rank—within the azure_ai extension for Azure Database for PostgreSQL. These operators leverage the capabilities of LLMs directly from SQL workflows, enabling truth evaluation, high-level data extraction, intelligent text generation, and document reranking, respectively. This innovation empowers you to unlock deeper insights and elevate the performance of your AI applications. Meet the Operators We introduce four core semantic operators, each designed to address distinct categories of semantic analysis challenges. Their real power comes from the flexible input options and the variety of supported LLMs, enabling our users to explore the potential of LLMs for their specific use cases and challenges. Truth Evaluation azure_ai.is_true evaluates whether a natural language statement is likely true. It is ideal for filtering noisy or off-topic content. Below is a simple example of how to use the operator: WITH statements(stmt) AS ( VALUES ('Surface Pro is made with recycled content, including 100% recycled aluminum alloy in the enclosure of 12-inch and 13-inch devices.'), ('Surface Pro is a product of an EU-based startup.'), ('My laptop has a great battery life.') ) SELECT stmt, azure_ai.is_true(stmt) AS truthy FROM statements; which gives the following result set (subject to variability of LLMs’ responses): stmt truthy Surface Pro is made with recycled content, including 100% recycled aluminum alloy in the enclosure of 12-inch and 13-inch devices. True Surface Pro is a product of an EU-based startup. False My laptop has a great battery life. NULL As we can observe from the result set, azure_ai.is_true outputs NULL when the truthiness of the value cannot be determined and issues a warning with a detailed message (intentionally left out for brevity). High-Level Data Extraction azure_ai.extract extracts structured high-level data (e.g., features, entities) from unstructured text. It is particularly useful for identifying named entities, actions, or other key elements within a text, making it easier to organize and analyze information. Below is a simple example from a review processing task: WITH reviews(review) AS ( VALUES ('The product has a great battery life.'), ('Noise cancellation does not work as advertised. Avoid this product.'), ('The product has a good design, but it is a bit heavy. Not recommended for travel.'), ('Music quality is good but call quality could have been better.') ) SELECT review, azure_ai.extract( 'Concisely extract features from the review, leave n/a or 0 when unsure: ' || review, ARRAY[ 'battery: string - battery life of the product', 'design: string - design features of the product', 'sound: string - sound quality (e.g., music, call, noise cancellation) of the product', 'sentiment: number - sentiment score of the review; 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)' ] ) AS data FROM reviews; This query yields the following result set (again, subject to variability of LLMs’ responses): review data The product has a great battery life. {"sound": "n/a", "design": "n/a", "battery": "great battery life", "sentiment": 5} Noise cancellation does not work as advertised. Avoid this product. {"sound": "Noise cancellation does not work as advertised.", "design": "n/a", "battery": "n/a", "sentiment": 1} The product has a good design, but it is a bit heavy. Not recommended for travel. {"sound": "n/a", "design": "good design, but a bit heavy", "battery": "n/a", "sentiment": 3} Music quality is good but call quality could have been better. {"sound": "Music quality is good, call quality could have been better.", "design": "n/a", "battery": "n/a", "sentiment": 3} Intelligent Text Generation azure_ai.generate generates freeform text using an LLM based on the input and system prompts. It can be used to summarize, translate, rewrite, or respond to content, providing users with the ability to create coherent and contextually appropriate text effortlessly. Additionally, its capabilities extend beyond these functions, as users can craft different prompts and provide a JSON schema to instruct the LLM to generate structured information for their specific use cases. Revisiting the previous review processing task, we can get a one-sentence summary of the reviews by employing the freeform version of this operator: WITH reviews(review) AS ( VALUES ('The product has a great battery life.'), ('Noise cancellation does not work as advertised. Avoid this product.'), ('The product has a good design, but it is a bit heavy. Not recommended for travel.'), ('Music quality is good but call quality could have been better.') ) SELECT azure_ai.generate( string_agg('Review: ' || review, '\n'), system_prompt => 'Summarize the reviews in a single sentence concisely.' ) AS summary FROM reviews; We get the following response from the LLM: summary The product has good battery life, design, and music quality, but falls short on noise cancellation, call quality, and portability. Document Reranking azure_ai.rank re-ranks a list of documents based on their relevance to a query. It empowers businesses to substantially improve the accuracy and relevance of information retrieved in search and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems. In addition to supporting LLMs for reranking, the operator also accommodates cross-encoder models specifically designed for this function. To understand this operator’s power, let us revisit the previous review processing task and ask ourselves the question: “Which review best answers the customer query: ‘clear calling capability that blocks out background noise’?” Here is an example SQL query with azure_ai.rank: WITH reviews(id, review) AS ( VALUES (1, 'The product has a great battery life.'), (2, 'Noise cancellation does not work as advertised. Avoid this product.'), (3, 'The product has a good design, but it is a bit heavy. Not recommended for travel.'), (4, 'Music quality is good but call quality could have been better.') ) SELECT rank, id, review FROM azure_ai.rank( 'clear calling capability that blocks out background noise', ARRAY(SELECT review FROM reviews ORDER BY id ASC), ARRAY(SELECT id FROM reviews ORDER BY id ASC) ) rr LEFT JOIN reviews r USING (id) ORDER BY rank ASC; The above query yields the following reranked reviews (lower rank means higher relevance): rank id review 1 2 Noise cancellation does not work as advertised. Avoid this product. 2 4 Music quality is good but call quality could have been better. 3 3 The product has a good design, but it is a bit heavy. Not recommended for travel. 4 1 The product has a great battery life. Let us explore how these operators work in a real-world scenario. Use Case: Processing Product Descriptions and Reviews Imagine you're managing a platform that collects thousands of user reviews for various products daily. With such a vast amount of freeform, user-generated content, efficiently analyzing and surfacing the most meaningful insights become crucial. By leveraging automation and AI-driven techniques, you can streamline the review processing workflow to improve searchability, relevance, and moderation efficiency. For this use case, we will work on the Agentic Shop dataset, which contains product descriptions and the corresponding user reviews for three categories of products: headphones, smartwatches and tablets. The product table has IDs, names, categories and freeform text descriptions of the products, as well as the descriptions’ embeddings. Similarly, the review table has review IDs, product IDs and freeform review text, as well as the reviews’ embeddings. Both tables have indexes on the embedding columns to support vector (similarity) search. Step by step, we will perform the following operations: Do semantic similarity search on product descriptions and reviews, Improve the semantic search using reranking, Filter out the false positives using azure_ai.is_true, Extract high-level data to build a graph on top of products and reviews, and, Answer complex questions using the graph and semantic operators. With the help of semantic operators, you can do all of this in SQL! Semantic Similarity Search With the tables, embeddings and indexes at hand, let us try to list the Top 10 headphones with “good clear calling capability and good reviews about battery life.” By using semantic similarity search alone, you can try listing the Top 10 related products first, and then get the Top 10 semantically most relevant reviews for them: WITH potential_headphones AS ( SELECT id AS product_id, name, description FROM products WHERE category = 'headphones' ORDER BY description_emb <=> azure_openai.create_embeddings( 'text-embedding-3-small', 'good clear calling' )::vector ASC LIMIT 10 ) SELECT p.product_id, r.id AS review_id, p.name AS product_name, p.description, r.review_text FROM potential_headphones p LEFT JOIN reviews r USING (product_id) ORDER BY review_text_emb <=> azure_openai.create_embeddings( 'text-embedding-3-small', 'good battery life' )::vector ASC LIMIT 10; The query yields the following result set (kept to the Top 5 results and redacted for brevity): product_id review_id product_name description review_text 11 247 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 11 244 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 15 339 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 10 220 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 5 114 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] When we inspect the result set carefully, we notice, for instance, that even though the product description for product_id=15 contains product features around “superior noise cancellation” and “high-quality sound performance,” it does not specifically mention “good calling capability.” This is of course expected due to the nature of semantic similarity search and our choice of first retrieving the top products and then fetching the topmost relevant reviews. Reranking the Results To alleviate the previous issue and improve the semantic similarity search results, we can benefit from azure_ai.rank. Let us try to improve the previous query by fetching the Top 50 relevant reviews first, and then reranking the results by using a cross-encoder: WITH potential_headphones AS ( SELECT id AS product_id, name, description FROM product WHERE category = 'headphones' ORDER BY description_emb <=> azure_openai.create_embeddings( 'text-embedding-3-small', 'good clear calling' )::vector ASC LIMIT 10 ), potential_headphones_reviews AS ( SELECT p.product_id, r.id AS review_id, p.name AS product_name, p.description, r.review_text, ROW_NUMBER() OVER () AS row_id FROM potential_headphones p LEFT JOIN review r USING (product_id) ORDER BY review_text_emb <=> azure_openai.create_embeddings( 'text-embedding-3-small', 'good battery life' )::vector ASC LIMIT 50 ), reranked_results AS ( SELECT id AS row_id, rank FROM azure_ai.rank( 'good clear calling capability and good battery life', ARRAY( SELECT 'Product Description: ' || description || '. Review: ' || review_text FROM potential_headphones_reviews ORDER BY row_id ASC ), ARRAY( SELECT row_id FROM potential_headphones_reviews ORDER BY row_id ASC ) ) ) SELECT phr.product_id, phr.review_id, phr.product_name, phr.description, phr.review_text FROM potential_headphones_reviews phr LEFT JOIN reranked_results rr USING (row_id) ORDER BY rr.rank ASC LIMIT 10; Now, this improved query yields the following result set: product_id review_id product_name description review_text 14 316 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 14 319 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 8 184 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 19 440 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 8 176 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] As you can see, we have received different, and semantically more relevant, results than before. Specifically, we do not see product_id=15 in the Top 5 reranked results, anymore. This time, however, when we inspect the results carefully, we notice, for example, that the review text for review_id=319 is as follows: I enjoy these headphones, but they aren't without their flaws. The audio clarity is splendid, and I do find them quite comfortable, even after extended use. However, the battery life is not as long as advertised; I often find myself charging them more frequently than I would like. Still, they do provide solid sound for an overall great listening experience, especially for the price. The issue here is that the result set now has reviews that have better (semantic) relevance scores than before when compared to the provided natural language query, but the model is not able to differentiate negative reviews from the positive ones. Filtering out the False Positives To get rid of the false positives that appear in the reranked reviews, we leverage azure_ai.is_true as a filtering/where condition on the reranked results: WITH potential_headphones AS ( -- as before ), potential_headphones_reviews AS ( -- as before ), reranked_results AS ( -- as before ) SELECT phr.product_id, phr.review_id, phr.product_name, phr.description, phr.review_text FROM potential_headphones_reviews phr LEFT JOIN reranked_results rr USING (row_id) WHERE azure_ai.is_true( 'The following product description and review satisfies the following customer ask: ' || 'good clear calling capability and good battery life' || '. Product Description: ' || phr.description || '. Review: ' || phr.review_text ) ORDER BY rr.rank ASC LIMIT 10; Finally, we get the following result set, which excludes the false positives from the reranked results of the previous query: product_id review_id product_name description review_text 14 316 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 8 184 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 19 440 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 19 435 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 8 186 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] Extracting High-Level Data to Build a Graph Extracting high-level data from product descriptions and reviews provides structured insights into customer experiences. By using azure_ai.extract, you can identify key aspects of the product being discussed and the overall sentiment of the review by configuring the description of the data you want to extract. After obtaining the required high-level data in a structured format, you can build even more complex relationships on your datasets by using a graph representation of data. To this end, you can leverage the Apache AGE extension in Azure Database for PostgreSQL. For our use case, let us assume that the following key aspects of the products are important for our customers: design (e.g., dimensions, shape, weight, material), sound quality (e.g., sound/music quality, bass, treble), and water resistance. As such, we need to extract these high-level data from product descriptions and store them as features of the product in, say, JSONB format. Similarly, we can extract the same set of features, if mentioned at all, from the reviews, together with the sentiments as inferred from the review text by the LLMs. By using azure_ai.extract, we can achieve this in two steps… one for the product descriptions: SELECT id, azure_ai.extract( description, ARRAY[ 'design: string - comma separated list of design features of the product (e.g., dimensions, shape, weight, material); empty if not mentioned', 'soundQuality: string - comma separated list of sound quality features of the product (e.g., sound/music quality, bass, treble); empty if not mentioned', 'waterResistance: string - comma separated list of water resistance features of the product; empty if not mentioned' ] ) AS features FROM product; and another one for the reviews: SELECT id, azure_ai.extract( review_text, ARRAY[ 'design: string - comma separated list of design features of the product (e.g., dimensions, shape, weight, material); empty if not mentioned', 'designSentiment: string - overall sentiment of the design features of the product, e.g., positive, negative, neutral, or n/a if not applicable', 'soundQuality: string - comma separated list of sound quality features of the product (e.g., sound/music quality, bass, treble); empty if not mentioned', 'soundQualitySentiment: string - overall sentiment of the sound quality features of the product, e.g., positive, negative, neutral, or n/a if not applicable', 'waterResistance: string - comma separated list of water resistance features of the product; empty if not mentioned', 'waterResistanceSentiment: string - overall sentiment of the water resistance features of the product, e.g., positive, negative, neutral, or n/a if not applicable', 'overallSentiment: string - overall sentiment of the review, e.g., positive, negative, neutral, or n/a if not applicable' ] ) AS features FROM review; The queries above help extract the high-level data we need to populate a knowledge graph with the following relationship diagram: Relationship diagram among products, their features, and the reviews that mention these features. Products have a "has-a" relationship with both features and reviews, and reviews have a "mentions-a" relationship with the features. Here, product nodes can contain some convenient data in addition to the product IDs (e.g., name, category), feature nodes contain the feature names (e.g., design), and review nodes contain the review IDs. Similarly, the directed edges from product nodes to feature nodes contain feature data (e.g., extracted data from product descriptions for the design feature), edges from product nodes to review nodes contain the overall sentiment of the review, and edges from review nodes to feature nodes contain both the feature data (e.g., extracted data from product reviews for the design feature) and the corresponding feature sentiment (e.g., extracted sentiment from product reviews specifically for the design feature, if at all). The graph representation depicted in Figure 1 can be implemented easily with the help of the Apache AGE extension in Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Answering Complex Questions Finally, after we build the graph representation of the relationship among products, reviews and the features of interest, we are ready to answer complex questions in SQL. Let us imagine that we would like to answer the following challenging question: “What are the Top 3 lightweight and waterproof headphones with many good reviews about music quality?” To answer this question, we can start with the following graph query: SELECT * FROM cypher( 'products_reviews_features_graph', $$ MATCH (p:product {category: 'headphones'})-[:HAS_FEATURE]->(:feature {name: 'design'}) WITH p MATCH (p)-[:HAS_FEATURE]->(:feature {name: 'waterResistance'}) WITH p MATCH (p)-[:HAS_REVIEW]->(r:review)-[:MENTIONS_FEATURE {sentiment: 'positive'}]->(:feature {name: 'soundQuality'}) RETURN p.id, r.id $$ ) AS result(product_id integer, review_id integer); This query lists all the ID pairs of products that are in the headphones category and have design and water resistance features specified, and those reviews that have positive sentiment about the specific product’s sound quality features. However, our featurization process in the previous section implies that the design feature of a product specification contains not only the weight of the product but also other design elements such as dimensions, shape and material. As such, we need to join the graph query with a common table expression that filters out those product descriptions that do not explicitly specify the weight of the product. Finally, let us also summarize the design and water resistance features of the product, as well as all the review elements considering the sound quality of the product. The final query looks like this: WITH graph_query AS ( SELECT * FROM cypher( 'shop_graph', $$ MATCH (p:product {category: 'headphones'})-[:HAS_FEATURE]->(:feature {name: 'design'}) WITH p MATCH (p)-[:HAS_FEATURE]->(:feature {name: 'waterResistance'}) WITH p MATCH (p)-[:HAS_REVIEW]->(r:review)-[:MENTIONS_FEATURE {sentiment: 'positive'}]->(:feature {name: 'soundQuality'}) RETURN p.id, r.id $$ ) AS result(product_id integer, review_id integer) ), detailed_data AS ( SELECT g.product_id, g.review_id, p.name, p.features->>'design' AS design, p.features->>'waterResistance' AS water_resistance, r.features->>'soundQuality' AS sound_quality FROM graph_query g JOIN product p ON g.product_id = p.id JOIN review r ON g.review_id = r.id ), filtered_products AS ( SELECT DISTINCT ON (product_id) product_id FROM detailed_data WHERE azure_ai.is_true('Product spec specifically mentions lightweight design: ' || design) ) SELECT f.product_id AS id, d.name, azure_ai.generate( 'Design features: ' || d.design || '. Water resistance features: ' || d.water_resistance, system_prompt => 'Summarize the features of the product concisely.' ) AS product_summary, azure_ai.generate( string_agg('Review: ' || d.sound_quality, ','), system_prompt => 'Summarize the reviews concisely.' ) AS review_summary, COUNT(d.review_id) AS review_count FROM filtered_products f JOIN detailed_data d ON f.product_id = d.product_id GROUP BY f.product_id, d.name, d.design, d.water_resistance ORDER BY review_count DESC LIMIT 3; We get the following result set: id name product_summary review_summary review_count 6 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 16 8 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 13 7 [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 12 There we have it – Top 3 products with the desired features and the most positive reviews about sound quality! Let us examine the top match for example: ID. 6 Name. Nexvo Wireless Earbuds – 48H Playback, LED Display, Earhooks, Mic Product Summary. The product features a sport-focused design with three pairs of ear caps and flexible earhooks for a secure fit during outdoor activities. It includes a charging case with a dual LED display and offers water resistance suitable for use in rainy conditions. Review Summary. The reviews consistently praise the product's sound quality, highlighting it as crystal clear, rich, full, and immersive with good bass response and outstanding clarity. Review Count. 16 Final Thoughts Semantic operators in Azure PostgreSQL are more than just wrappers around LLMs—they represent a paradigm shift in how we think about AI in data systems. By embedding generative AI directly into SQL, we are not only simplifying the integration process but also empowering developers to build smarter, faster, and more maintainable applications. This innovative approach allows for seamless interaction with AI capabilities, enabling developers to leverage the full potential of LLMs to solve complex problems, enhance data analysis, enrich available data with high-level features, and create more intuitive user experiences. The flexibility and power of these operators open new possibilities for innovation, making it easier to develop cutting-edge applications that can adapt to evolving needs and challenges.Innovating with PostgreSQL @Build
At this year's Microsoft Build, we're excited to share the latest updates and innovations in Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Whether you're building AI powered apps and agents or just looking to uplevel your PostgreSQL experience, we've got sessions packed with insights and tools tailored for developers and technical leaders. As a fully managed, AI-ready open source relational database that offers 58% cost savings over an on-premises PostgreSQL database – Azure Database for PostgreSQL enhances your security, scalability, and management of enterprise workloads. Check out what’s happening with Postgres at Build — in Seattle and online: 🔍 Breakout Sessions BRK211: Building Advanced Agentic Apps with PostgreSQL on Azure What benefits do agentic architectures bring compared to traditional RAG patterns? Find out how we answer this question by exploring advanced agentic capabilities offered by popular GenAI frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel) and how they transform RAG applications built on Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Learn how to further improve agentic apps by integrating advanced RAG techniques, making vector search faster with the DiskANN vector search algorithm, and more accurate with Semantic Ranking and GraphRAG. BRK204: What’s New in Microsoft Databases: Empowering AI-Driven App Dev Explore advanced applications powered by Microsoft databases on-premises, on Azure and in Microsoft Fabric. Uncover innovative approaches to scalability and learn about intelligent data processing with AI-driven insights and agentic integrations. See new features with engaging demos across all databases including Azure Database for PostgreSQL. 💻 Demo Session DEM564: Boost Your Development Workflows with PostgreSQL Discover how to transform your development workflow on PostgreSQL. Whether you're building AI-powered apps, managing complex datasets, or just looking to streamline your PostgreSQL experience, this demo will show you how to level up your productivity with PostgreSQL on Azure. 🧪 Hands-On Labs LAB360: Build an Agentic App with PostgreSQL, GraphRAG, and Semantic Kernel Sign up to get hands-on experience building an agent-driven, RAG-based application with Azure Database for PostgreSQL and VS Code. Explore coding and architectural concepts while using DiskANN Index for Vector Search, and integrating Apache AGE for PostgreSQL to extend into a GraphRAG pattern leveraging the Semantic Kernel Agent Framework. 💬 Meet the Experts Have questions? Looking to talk open source, AI agentic apps, or migration? Visit us in the Expert Meetup Zone to connect with the Postgres product teams, engineers, and architects. 🔎 How to find it: Log into the Microsoft Build 2025 website or use the official event mobile app to view the venue map and session schedule. 📍 To find the Expert Meetup zone, check out the official MS Build Event Guide for a venue maps and other logistical information. 🐘Get Started with Azure Database for PostgreSQL Want to try it out firsthand? 🚀 Start building 📘 Explore the documentation Let's connect, code, and grow together at Build 2025!Microsoft PostgreSQL OSS engine team: reflecting on 2024
In "Microsoft PostgreSQL OSS engine team: reflecting on 2024", the first part of a two part blog post, you will learn about who the Microsoft PostgreSQL OSS Engine team is, their code contributions to the upstream PostgreSQL & journey during 2024. In the second part, you will get a sneak preview of upcoming work in 2025 (and PG18 cycle) and more.CFP talk proposal ideas for POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025
Some of you have been asking for advice about what to submit to the CFP for POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025. So this post aims to give you ideas that might help you submit a talk proposal (or 2, or 3) before the upcoming CFP deadline. If you’re not yet familiar with this conference, POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 is a free & virtual developer event now in its 4th year, organized by the Postgres team at Microsoft. I love the virtual aspect of POSETTE because the conference talks are so accessible—for both speakers and attendees. If you’re a speaker, you don’t need travel budget $$—and you don’t have to leave home. Also, the talk you’ve poured all that energy into is not limited to the people in the room, and has the potential to reach so many more people. If you’re an attendee, well, all you need is an internet connection The CFP for POSETTE: An Event for Postgres will be open until Sunday Feb 9th at 11:59pm PST. So as of the publication date of this blog post, you still have time to submit a CFP proposal (or 2, or 3, or 4)—and to remind your Postgres teammates and friends of the speaking opportunity. If you have a Postgres experience, success story, failure, best practice, “how-to”, collection of tips, lesson about something that's new, or deep dive to share—not just about the core of Postgres, but about anything in the Postgres ecosystem, including extensions, and tooling, and monitoring—maybe you should consider submitting a talk proposal to the CFP for POSETTE. If you’re not sure about whether to give a conference talk, there are a boatload of reasons why you should. And there’s also a podcast episode with Álvaro Herrera, Boriss Mejías, and Pino de Candia that makes the case for why giving conference talks matters. For inspiration, you can also take a look at the playlist of POSETTE 2024 talks. And if you’re looking for even more CFP ideas, you’ve come to the right place! Read on… Ideas for talks you might propose in the POSETTE CFP On the CFP page there is a list of possible talk titles (screenshot below) you might submit—these are good ideas, although the list is by no means exhaustive, and we welcome talk proposals that are not on this list. Figure 1: POSETTE CFP talk topics taken from the CFP page on PosetteConf.com On Telegram the other day, when answering the question “Do you have any ideas of what I should submit?”, I found myself suggesting different TYPES of talks. Not specific ideas and talk titles, but rather I framed the different categories. So I decided to share these different “types” and “classes” of talks with all of you, in the hopes this might gives you a good talk proposal idea. First you need to pick your audience: Before you think about what type of talk to give, remember that the POSETTE team is focused on serving the needs of both the USER community—as well as the Postgres contributor & hacker communities. That means first you need to decide on your audience. Are you giving a talk for PostgreSQL users, or Azure Database for PostgreSQL customers, or the PostgreSQL contributor community? All are good choices. Then you need to decide: what do you want to accomplish with your talk? Do you want to skill up the Postgres hacker community?: If you want to help skill-up the developer/contributor community, maybe pick a part of Postgres that new contributors often ask a lot of questions about, get stuck on, need help with, etc—and give a “tour” of its mechanics, starting with the basics. Do you want to help grow the Postgres community?: If you want to help grow the Postgres community of contributors and developers, you could propose a talk that would motivate tomorrow's developers/contributors to get involved in the project. Imagine you were going to a university to give a talk about "why work on Postgres"… what would you say? And how would you entice people to work on Postgres? What pain points would you challenge them with? What benefits would you share from your own Postgres experience that might inspire these developers to think seriously about Postgres as a career path? You could also shine a light on the different ways people can (and do!) contribute to the Postgres community: from mentoring to translations to organizing conferences to podcasts to speaking at conferences to publishing PostgreSQL Person of the Week. Do you want to share your expertise with Postgres users?: If you want your talk to benefit users, maybe pick an area that you are already expert in (or want an excuse to dig into and learn about?) and create a Beginners Guide for it? Or Advanced Tips for it? Or Surprising Benefits of? Or Things People Might Not Know? Especially if there is a part of Postgres you feel like people sometimes mis-use, or don't take enough advantage of.... Do you want to share your customer experiences with Azure Database for PostgreSQL, or Postgres more generally?: Maybe you have a wild success story you think others will benefit from. Or you want to share a problem you had and how you used Postgres to solve it? People love customer stories. Do you want to shine a light on the broader Postgres ecosystem?: If you want to target users with your talk, don’t limit yourself the Postgres core. There is a rich ecosystem that surrounds Postgres and people need to understand the ecosystem, too. So maybe there are tools or Postgres extensions or forks or startups that you can give a useful talk about? Do you want to help experts in other database technologies learn about Postgres?: If you have expertise in other databases as well as Postgres, maybe you can help people who who are skilled in running workloads on other databases and are looking to skill up on Postgres—by helping them understand what’s similar, and what’s different. As if you’re giving them a dictionary to translate from their familiar database to Postgres, and vice versa. There are so many more possibilities: Often I look at the schedule from previous years to look for inspiration (and to make sure that my talk proposal is not a duplicate of a talk that’s already been given.) And I think about pain points, things people get confused about, or questions that come up a lot. Another thing to keep in mind: how can you help your story to "stick"? Can you make it entertaining? How do you share your story in a way that keeps people watching (versus looking at their phone instead?) Key things to know about POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 CFP deadline: The CFP for POSETTE will close on Sunday, Feb 9th 2025 @ 11:59pm Pacific Time (PST) No travel required: free & virtual developer event Length of talks: 25 minutes/session Language: All talks will be in English Talks will be pre-recorded: All talks will be pre-recorded by the POSETTE team during the weeks of Apr 28th and May 5th (with accepted speakers presenting remotely) When is the event?: Jun 10-12, 2025 Format of the virtual event: All pre-recorded talks will be livestreamed in one of 4 unique livestreams on Jun 10-12, 2025—all with parallel live text chats on Discord. Two of the livestreams will be in Americas-friendly times of day (8:00am-2:00pm PDT) and two of the livestreams will be in EMEA-friendly times of day (8:00am-2:00pm CEST). All talks will be published online after the event is over. More info about the CFP: All the details, including key dates and how to submit on Sessionize, are spelled out on the CFP page for POSETTE 2025 Code-of-conduct: You can find the Code of Conduct for POSETTE online. Please help us to provide a respectful, friendly, and professional experience for everybody involved in this virtual conference. Figure 2: The CFP is open for POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 until Sunday Feb 9th at 11:59pm PST. What Postgres story do you want to share?
