| 2 |
Would you be interested in taking an examination to become a certified PostgreSQL database administrator? |
| Yes |
213 |
| No |
10 |
| 3 |
Are your friends and colleagues familiar with PostgreSQL? |
| All my friends and colleagues are familiar with PostgreSQL (100%) |
11 |
| Most of my friends and colleagues are familiar with PostgreSQL (75 - 99%) |
20 |
| Some of my friends and colleagues are familiar with PostgreSQL (25 - 74%) |
88 |
| Very few of my friends and colleagues are familiar with PostgreSQL (1 - 24%) |
91 |
| None of my friends and colleagues are familiar with PostgreSQL (0%) |
13 |
| 4 |
For how long have you been a PostgreSQL database administrator? |
| Less than 1 year |
36 |
| I wish. |
15 |
| 3 to 5 years |
42 |
| 1 to 3 years |
78 |
| Over 10 years |
7 |
| 5 to 7 years |
33 |
| 7 to 10 years |
12 |
| 5 |
How many employees work at your organization? |
| 10 to 99 |
70 |
| 10,000 or more |
10 |
| 1 to 9 (or self-employed) |
64 |
| I am unemployed |
2 |
| 500 to 999 |
14 |
| I dont know |
1 |
| 100 to 499 |
35 |
| 1,000 to 9,999 |
27 |
| 6 |
What best describes your organization? |
| Provide support services for organizations using PostgreSQL |
64 |
| Not interested in PostgreSQL |
4 |
| Use PostgreSQL for non-mission critical databases |
102 |
| Develop products that are based on PostgreSQL |
98 |
| Provide dedicated resources to develop PostgreSQL |
13 |
| Other |
11 |
| Use PostgreSQL for mission critical databases |
112 |
| Not currently using PostgreSQL, but interested in using it in the future |
15 |
| Use a PostgreSQL-based database for mission critical databases (i.e. EnterpriseDB) |
14 |
| Use a PostgreSQL-based database for non-mission critical databases |
15 |
| Provide PostgreSQL training |
26 |
| 7 |
What best describes your position at your organization? |
| Developer |
60 |
| VP/Director |
7 |
| Contractor or Consultant with varying database-related roles |
12 |
| Other |
8 |
| Student |
4 |
| Architect |
17 |
| CEO/President/Owner |
22 |
| System Administrator |
20 |
| IT Manager |
16 |
| Database Administrator |
51 |
| Technical staff |
6 |
| 8 |
What best describes your use of PostgreSQL? |
| I have been a DBA on one or more PostgreSQL databases in the past, but I am not currently a PostgreSQL DBA |
12 |
| I have never been an administrator or a user of a PostgreSQL database |
2 |
| I have been a user on a PostgreSQL database, but I am not an administrator |
15 |
| I have a project on pgFoundry, or I maintain proprietary, mature, PostgreSQL-based projects |
8 |
| I am a core contributor to PostgreSQL, or I have heavily modified the PostgreSQL source to suit proprietary needs |
1 |
| I develop software that accesses a PostgreSQL database |
54 |
| I do not use PostgreSQL now, but I am interested in being a DBA for one or more PostgreSQL databases in the future |
8 |
| I am a DBA for one or more PostgreSQL database servers |
123 |
| 9 |
What is your age? |
| 51 to 60 |
6 |
| 21 to 30 |
92 |
| Under 21 |
3 |
| 41 to 50 |
30 |
| 31 to 40 |
91 |
| Over 60 |
1 |
| 10 |
What is your education level? |
| Master's degree |
36 |
| Doctorate |
8 |
| Bachelor's degree |
88 |
| Technical school |
16 |
| Some grade school |
7 |
| Some college |
40 |
| High school or equivalent |
28 |
| 11 |
What languages do you think we should initially make available for the exam? |
| English |
212 |
| Dutch |
7 |
| Chinese |
11 |
| Japanese |
13 |
| Spanish |
70 |
| German |
19 |
| French |
17 |
| Russian |
13 |
| Portuguese |
41 |
| 12 |
What operating systems do you currently use with PostgreSQL (select all that apply) |
| Linux |
201 |
| Windows |
108 |
| Mac OS X |
26 |
| Solaris/OpenSolaris |
25 |
| AIX |
6 |
| *BSD |
37 |
| Other |
1 |
| HPUX |
1 |
| 13 |
What percentage of your friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis? |
| Very few of my friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis (1 - 24%) |
110 |
| None of my friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis (0%) |
14 |
| Most of my friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis (75 - 99%) |
16 |
| Some of my friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis (25 - 74%) |
75 |
| All my friends and colleagues use PostgreSQL on a regular basis (100%) |
8 |
| 14 |
Do you hold a certification related to a database system other than PostgreSQL? (check all that apply) |
| Sybase |
1 |
| DB2 |
4 |
| MySQL |
9 |
| Oracle |
37 |
| Microsoft SQL Server |
17 |
| None |
130 |
| Other |
6 |
| 15 |
In general, how are the databases for which you are responsible used? |
| Embedded: a stand-alone application depends on a database layer underneath it. |
3 |
| Web: web-facing front-ends access back-end databases. |
93 |
| Not applicable |
2 |
| Helps focus the types of questions that are to be asked |
3 |
| Traditional: applications access databases using a client-server scheme. |
57 |
| All or some of the above |
65 |
| 17 |
Which areas of PostgreSQL administration should be covered in this certification? |
| Performance tuning via hardware (e.g. RAID levels, etc.) |
123 |
| Upgrading an existing PostgreSQL database between different major versions (e.g. 8.2 to 8.3, wherein the DBA is required to perform a full database dump and extensions upgrade) |
153 |
| Security |
183 |
| Replication and clustering |
135 |
| Replication and clustering using common third-party tools (e.g. Slony-I) |
93 |
| Backup, restore, and disaster recovery |
208 |
| Building PostgreSQL from source |
82 |
| Operating system-specific configuration |
85 |
| Installation of PostgreSQL |
172 |
| Users and roles |
174 |
| SQL programming |
127 |
| Basic database administration * |
198 |
| Basics of stored procedures in SQL and PL/pgSQL |
167 |
| Operating system-specific installation (e.g. RPM and DEB installation, versus Solaris packages, etc.) |
61 |
| Basics of stored procedures in other procedural languages (e.g. PL/Perl, PL/R, etc.) |
52 |
| Performance tuning via postgresql.conf |
197 |
| Understanding of the physical storage of data on the disk (e.g. block sizes, data pages, TOAST, etc.) |
127 |
| Operating system-specific tuning * |
115 |
| Configuration of PostgreSQL |
210 |
| Data warehousing, data mining, and OLAP |
65 |
| 19 |
Should a PostgreSQL database administrator be able to demonstrate proficiency in using the SQL language? |
| No |
7 |
| Yes, the database administrator must demonstrate superior proficiency with SQL |
100 |
| Yes, the database administrator must demonstrate moderate proficiency with SQL |
116 |
| 20 |
If the examination covers multiple operating systems, which operating systems should it cover? |
| Linux |
214 |
| Windows |
146 |
| Solaris/OpenSolaris |
69 |
| Mac OS X |
30 |
| AIX |
13 |
| Other BSD flavors |
21 |
| Helps us determine exam content |
6 |
| Other |
4 |
| HPUX |
12 |
| FreeBSD |
76 |
| 21 |
What should a certified person be called? |
| PostgreSQL Certified Database Administrator |
108 |
| PostgreSQL Database Administrator |
13 |
| Certified PostgreSQL Database Administrator |
102 |
| 23 |
If you said yes to the previous question which degree of difficulty should the first certification cover? |
| Intermediate |
113 |
| Advanced |
22 |
| Beginner |
54 |
| 24 |
Should multiple levels of certification that cover varying degrees of difficulty be offered? |
| Yes |
180 |
| No, only a very difficult and advanced examination should be offered |
20 |
| No, only an intermediate examination should be offered |
22 |
| No, a PostgreSQL certification should not be offered |
1 |
| 25 |
Should specialization (e.g. operating system-specific) be included as part of the core certification |
| Include as separate endorsements |
113 |
| Do not offer specialized endorsements |
54 |
| Include as part of core certification |
56 |
| 26 |
Should the certification examination cover database theory? |
| Yes, in deep detail |
51 |
| Yes, but more as an overview of general database theory knowledge |
157 |
| No |
15 |
| 27 |
Did the previous question, regarding the areas of PostgreSQL administration that would be covered in the certification, cover al |
| Yes |
191 |
| No |
32 |
| 29 |
How should the examination be delivered? |
| Over the web, unproctored |
173 |
| At global testing centers (e.g. through Thomson Prometric or another accredited testing agency) |
64 |
| 30 |
What is the maximum distance you would be willing to travel to take a PostgreSQL certification exam? |
| 250 to 499 km (155 to 310 mi) (within a large state/region) |
23 |
| 500 to 999 km (311 to 620 mi) (within a country) |
47 |
| More than 1,000 km (621 mi) (internationally or within a large country) |
19 |
| 1 to 49 km (1 to 30 mi) (locally) |
29 |
| 100 to 249 km (62 to 154 mi) (within a state/region) |
54 |
| 50 to 99 km (31 to 61 mi) (within a large metropolitan area) |
38 |
| I will only sit the exam if I may do so at my home or office. |
13 |
| 31 |
Which of the following testing methodologies do you feel would be appropriate for a PostgreSQL certification? |
| Performing tasks on a real PostgreSQL system * |
148 |
| Multiple choice questions |
203 |
| Long free-response questions (up to three paragraphs) |
24 |
| Short free-response questions (up to three sentences) |
113 |
| Very long free-response questions (multiple pages) |
10 |
| 33 |
Should the person with the certification be notified that someone verified their certification? |
| Yes, only that someone looked up their status, not who |
60 |
| This should be controlled by the person with the certification |
101 |
| Yes, including who looked up their certification status |
62 |
| 34 |
Should there be a public directory of certified people? |
| Yes, but only if the certified person wants to be listed (listed by default) |
94 |
| Yes, but only if the certified person wants to be listed (not listed by default) |
75 |
| Yes |
47 |
| No |
7 |
| 35 |
Should verification of a person's certification status be allowed by the anonymous general public? |
| No |
67 |
| Yes |
156 |
| 36 |
What information should be available when confirming a person's certification? |
| The person is certified, with score (%) for each area covered by the certification (e.g. Installation, SQL, etc.) |
25 |
| The person's overall score and pass/fail for each area covered by the certification (e.g. Installation, SQL, etc.) |
3 |
| The person is certified, and pass/fail for each area covered by the certification (e.g. Installation, SQL, etc.) |
32 |
| This should be controlled by the person with the certification |
38 |
| The person's overall score and no other details |
10 |
| Only whether the person passed the examination |
104 |
| The person's overall score and the score (%) for each area covered by the certification (e.g. Installation, SQL, etc.) |
11 |
