Interview with Data Bene
Find out more about our sponsor Data Bene
Any views or opinions represented or expressed in this interview belong solely to the interviewee and do not necessarily represent those of the PostgreSQL Conference Europe 2026 organization, PostgreSQL Europe, or the wider PostgreSQL community, unless explicitly stated.
Which of your company's contributions to the PostgreSQL Project (code/community/conference/sponsorship) are you most proud of?
Over the last 16 years we have contributed in many distinct ways, and the one we are most proud of is the `Extension` infrastructure in PostgreSQL 9.1. It changed the game for PostgreSQL adoption and extensibility since it allows anybody to add their own features in PostgreSQL.
While we contributed to some projects, we focus on Citus and other extensions.
On the community side, we sponsor numerous events within the PostgreSQL community, such as CERN PGDay, PGDay Paris and this conference. We also sponsor French open-source events like Capitole du Libre and AlpOSS, where we enjoy interacting with other communities and introducing them to PostgreSQL. This openness is very important to us, as it creates new perspectives and leads to wonderful encounters.
Which feature is missing in PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is missing hooks on the parser; we only have this monolithic interface, limiting extensibility. Because of that, several projects had to fork PostgreSQL instead of enhancing the project with a pure extension. For example, Babelfish from Amazon (SQL Server support) and IvorySQL from HighGo (Oracle support).
With such hooks we will be able to implement SQL/PGQ (which was reverted) outside of core PostgreSQL and to add it to core, or as a contrib, when it's mature enough. We are very involved in this topic and have a full-time hacker working on it. If you're interested, he will elaborate on the subject further in our lightning talk slot during this conference.
What career paths are available at your company for PostgreSQL specialists?
At Data Bene, we believe people thrive when they can put their skills and strengths where they bring the most value. Whether you want to grow vertically or explore new roles, you shape your own path — there is no predefined career ladder. As a PostgreSQL Support DBA, a Technical Account Manager or a Hacker, you shape your career based on your skills and aspirations.
Feel free to come and talk to us about your brilliant ideas and crazy projects — we may find ourselves walking the same path.
