--- /dev/null
+The PostgreSQL Global Development Group announces that the first beta release of
+PostgreSQL 14 is now [available for download](https://www.postgresql.org/download/).
+This release contains previews of all features that will be available in the
+final release of PostgreSQL 14, though some details of the release could change
+before then.
+
+You can find information about all of the features and changes found in
+PostgreSQL 14 in the [release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html):
+
+ [https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html)
+
+In the spirit of the open source PostgreSQL community, we strongly encourage you
+to test the new features of PostgreSQL 14 in your systems to help us eliminate
+bugs or other issues that may exist. While we do not advise you to run
+PostgreSQL 14 Beta 1 in your production environments, we encourage you to find
+ways to run your typical application workloads against this beta release.
+
+Your testing and feedback will help the community ensure that the PostgreSQL 14
+release upholds our standards of delivering a stable, reliable release of the
+world's most advanced open source relational database. Please read more about
+our [beta testing process](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/) and how
+you can contribute:
+
+ [https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/)
+
+PostgreSQL 14 Feature Highlights
+--------------------------------
+
+### Performance
+
+PostgreSQL 14 continues the trend of recent releases in providing performance
+benefits to workloads of all sizes.
+
+This release has significant improvements in transaction throughput in
+PostgreSQL systems that have large numbers of connections to the database,
+regardless if they are active or idle.
+
+PostgreSQL 14 also contains additional gains in reducing B-tree indexing
+overhead, including reducing the bloat on tables with frequently updated
+indexes. [GiST indexes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/indexes-types.html#INDEXES-TYPE-GIST)
+can now use pre-sorted data during their build process, allowing both for faster
+index creation and smaller indexes.
+[SP-GiST indexes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/indexes-types.html#INDEXES-TYPE-SPGIST)
+now support [covering indexes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/indexes-index-only-scans.html)
+that allow users to add additional, nonsearchable columns to the index through
+the `INCLUDE` clause.
+
+There are many improvements to query parallelism in PostgreSQL 14. In addition
+to overall performance improvements for [parallel sequential scans](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/parallel-plans.html#PARALLEL-SCANS),
+the `RETURN QUERY` directive in [PL/pgSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/plpgsql.html)
+can now execute queries with parallelism.
+[`REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-refreshmaterializedview.html)
+can now use query parallelism as well.
+
+PostgreSQL 14 also introduces the ability to leverage query parallelism when
+querying remote databases using [foreign data wrappers](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-createforeigndatawrapper.html).
+The PostgreSQL foreign data wrapper, [`postgres_fdw`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/postgres-fdw.html),
+added support for this in PostgreSQL 14 when the `async_capable` flag is it.
+`postgres_fdw` also supports bulk inserts and can import table partitions using
+[`IMPORT FOREIGN SCHEMA`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-importforeignschema.html)
+and can now execute [`TRUNCATE`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-truncate.html)
+can on foreign tables.
+
+This release also has several improvements to the partitioning system, including
+performance gains when updating or deleting rows on tables where only a few
+partitions are affected. In PostgreSQL 14, partitions can now be detached in a
+non-blocking manner using the [`ALTER TABLE ... DETACH PARTITION ... CONCURRENTLY`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-altertable.html#SQL-ALTERTABLE-DETACH-PARTITION)
+command.
+
+Incremental sorting, introduced in the previous release, can now be used by
+[window functions](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/functions-window.html) in
+PostgreSQL 14. This new release adds more capabilities to [extended statistics](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/planner-stats.html),
+which can now be used on [expressions](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/view-pg-stats-ext-exprs.html).
+
+PostgreSQL has supported compression on its "oversized data" columns (i.e. the
+[TOAST](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/storage-toast.html) system) for
+decades, but this release adds the ability to now choose to use
+[LZ4 compression](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-createtable.html) on
+tables.
+
+### Data Types + SQL
+
+Building upon its existing support for [range types](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/rangetypes.html),
+PostgreSQL 14 adds the new [multirange type](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/rangetypes.html#RANGETYPES-BUILTIN)
+that lets you specify an ordered list of noncontiguous ranges, e.g.:
+
+```
+SELECT datemultirange(
+ daterange('2021-07-01', '2021-07-31'),
+ daterange('2021-09-01', '2021-09-30'),
+ daterange('2021-11-01', '2021-11-30'),
+ daterange('2022-01-01', '2022-01-31'),
+ daterange('2022-03-01', '2022-04-07')
+);
+```
+
+The new multirange type supports the existing operations available to range
+types.
+
+PostgreSQL 14 now adds a general subscripting framework for retrieving
+information in nested objects. For example, using the `JSONB` data type with,
+you now are able to retrieve nested info just using the `.` operator (e.g.
+`this.now.works.to.retrieve.this.json.data`).
+
+PostgreSQL 14 also adds support for `OUT` parameters in [stored procedures](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-createprocedure.html),
+and allows for the `GROUP BY` clause to use the `DISTINCT` keyword to remove duplicate
+`GROUPING SET` combinations.
+
+For recursive [common table expressions](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/queries-with.html#QUERIES-WITH-RECURSIVE)
+(`WITH` queries), PostgreSQL 14 adds the syntactic conveniences of [`SEARCH`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/queries-with.html#QUERIES-WITH-SEARCH)
+and [`CYCLE`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/queries-with.html#QUERIES-WITH-CYCLE)
+to help with ordering and cycle detection respectively.
+
+There is also the new [`date_bin`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/functions-datetime.html#FUNCTIONS-DATETIME-BIN)
+function in PostgreSQL 14 that can align timestamps with specified intervals, a
+technique known as "binning."
+
+### Administration
+
+PostgreSQL 14 makes numerous improvements to [`VACUUM`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/routine-vacuuming.html),
+with optimizations geared towards indexes. Autovacuum now analyzes partitioned
+tables and can bubble information about row counts to parent tables. There are
+also performance gains in [`ANALYZE`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-analyze.html)
+that can be controlled with [`maintenance_io_concurrency`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/runtime-config-resource.html#GUC-MAINTENANCE-IO-CONCURRENCY)
+parameter.
+
+PostgreSQL 14 includes numerous improvements on what information can be
+monitored, including the ability to track progress on `COPY` using the
+[`pg_stat_progress_copy`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/progress-reporting.html#COPY-PROGRESS-REPORTING)
+view. This release lets WAL activity be tracked from the [`pg_stat_wal`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/monitoring-stats.html#MONITORING-PG-STAT-WAL-VIEW)
+view, and to inspect replication slot status from the [`pg_stat_replication_slots`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/monitoring-stats.html#MONITORING-PG-STAT-REPLICATION-SLOTS-VIEW)
+view.
+
+There are several new parameters in PostgreSQL 14 to help manage connections.
+These include [`idle_session_timeout`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/runtime-config-client.html#GUC-IDLE-SESSION-TIMEOUT),
+which can close idle connections after the specified period, and
+[`client_connection_check_interval`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/runtime-config-connection.html#GUC-CLIENT-CONNECTION-CHECK-INTERVAL)
+parameter that lets PostgreSQL cancel long running queries if a client
+disconnects.
+
+The [`REINDEX`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-reindex.html) command in
+can now process all of the child indexes of a partitioned table, and PostgreSQL
+14 adds the [`pg_amcheck`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/app-pgamcheck.html)
+utility to help check for data corruption.
+
+### Replication & Recovery
+
+PostgreSQL 14 adds numerous performance benefits for logical replication,
+including the ability to stream in-process transactions to subscribers instead
+of waiting for them to be completed. The [`ALTER SUBSCRIPTION`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/sql-altersubscription.html)
+makes it easier to add/remove publications using the new `ADD/DROP PUBLICATION`]
+syntax.
+
+There are performance improvements in PostgreSQL 14 to how PostgreSQL starts up
+when in crash recovery, and you can now use
+[`pg_rewind`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/app-pgrewind.html) on a
+PostgreSQL instance that is in standby mode.
+
+### Security
+
+PostgreSQL 14 adds the ability to give users universal "read only" and "write only"
+privileges on tables/views/sequences through the use of the `pg_read_all_data`
+and `pg_write_all_data` [predefined roles](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/predefined-roles.html),
+respectively.
+
+This release also defaults to using [SCRAM-SHA-256](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/auth-password.html)
+for password management on new PostgreSQL instances. Additionally, the
+`clientcert` parameter in the `pg_hba.conf` must now use either the values of
+`verify-ca` or `verify-full` instead of the legacy values.
+
+PostgreSQL 14 can use a certificate's "distinguished name" (DN) for
+[certificated-based authentication](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/auth-cert.html)
+with `clientname=DN` parameter in the `pg_hba.conf` file.
+
+Additional Features
+-------------------
+
+Many other new features and improvements have been added to PostgreSQL 14, some
+of which may be as or more important to your use case than what is mentioned
+above. Please see the [release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html)
+for a complete list of new and changed features:
+
+ [https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html)
+
+Testing for Bugs & Compatibility
+--------------------------------
+
+The stability of each PostgreSQL release greatly depends on you, the community,
+to test the upcoming version with your workloads and testing tools in order to
+find bugs and regressions before the general availability of PostgreSQL 14. As
+this is a Beta, minor changes to database behaviors, feature details, and APIs
+are still possible. Your feedback and testing will help determine the final
+tweaks on the new features, so please test in the near future. The quality of
+user testing helps determine when we can make a final release.
+
+A list of [open issues](https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/PostgreSQL_14_Open_Items)
+is publicly available in the PostgreSQL wiki. You can
+[report bugs](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/) using this form on
+the PostgreSQL website:
+
+ [https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/)
+
+Beta Schedule
+-------------
+
+This is the first beta release of version 14. The PostgreSQL Project will
+release additional betas as required for testing, followed by one or more
+release candidates, until the final release in late 2021. For further
+information please see the [Beta Testing](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/) page.
+
+Links
+-----
+
+* [Download](https://www.postgresql.org/download/)
+* [Beta Testing Information](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/)
+* [PostgreSQL 14 Beta Release Notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/release-14.html)
+* [PostgreSQL 14 Open Issues](https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/PostgreSQL_14_Open_Items)
+* [Submit a Bug](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/)
projects / press.git / commitdiff