Implementing State Machines in PostgreSQL (2017)
a year ago
- #Database design
- #Finite-state machine
- #PostgreSQL
- Finite-state machines (FSMs) are a powerful model for computation and can simplify business logic.
- FSMs can be represented as directed graphs, showing states and transitions via events.
- Implementing an FSM in PostgreSQL provides data integrity and advanced analytics capabilities.
- A PostgreSQL function can enforce FSM rules, ensuring valid state transitions.
- User-defined aggregates in PostgreSQL can recursively apply state transitions.
- Triggers can validate events against the FSM before insertion.
- FSMs in PostgreSQL enable advanced analytics, such as tracking state histories over time.
- Embedding business logic in the database can prevent race conditions and improve reliability.
- The approach is scalable, having been tested with billions of event rows.