The reindex_and_refresh_collation.sh
script is created to automate the process of reindexing tables and refreshing the collation version for all user databases in a PostgreSQL server. This utility is particularly useful when you've updated the locale or collation libraries on the system where PostgreSQL is installed, as these updates could cause mismatches between the databases' expected collation version and the operating system's provided version.
- Retrieves a list of all user databases (excluding system templates) on the PostgreSQL server.
- Reindexes tables for each user database to ensure database performance is optimized.
- Refreshes the collation version for each user database to stay in sync with the underlying system's locale settings.
- Performs a follow-up check for any collation mismatches within the tables' column metadata.
This script was written to provide PostgreSQL administrators with a straightforward solution to upkeep databases following system collation updates, avoiding manual repetition and reducing human error. It is especially helpful after updates to the operating system's collation libraries to ensure that databases continue to function correctly and to prevent any potential issues with string sorting and comparisons.
Running this script can be resource-intensive and may affect your database performance while the reindexing process is underway. This can be critical for large databases or production systems. Here are some precautions and risks to consider:
- Downtime: The
REINDEX
operation may lock tables, preventing writes (and possibly reads, depending on the PostgreSQL version and reindex method). Plan to run this during a maintenance window or at off-peak times. - Disk Space: Reindexing can require a significant amount of disk space, temporarily duplicating the size of the indexes.
- Backups: Ensure that your databases are fully backed up before running this script.
To use this script within a postgis
Docker container, follow these steps:
- Enter the running
postgis
container usingdocker exec
:
docker exec -it <container_id_or_name> /bin/bash
- Inside the container, install
curl
(and optionally other utilities you might need):
apt-get update
apt-get install -y curl
- Download the script using
curl
, set execute permissions, and run it:
curl -Lo reindex_and_refresh_collation.sh https://gist.githubusercontent.com/troykelly/616df024050dd50744dde4a9579e152e/raw/reindex_and_refresh_collation.sh
chmod +x reindex_and_refresh_collation.sh
./reindex_and_refresh_collation.sh
Make sure to replace <container_id_or_name>
with your actual container ID or name.
- (Optional) Cleanup the
apt-get
list and remove the installed packages once the operation is complete to keep the container size small:
apt-get purge -y curl
apt-get autoremove -y
apt-get clean
rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
Feel free to fork this gist, submit improvements, or raise issues if you encounter problems. We welcome any contributions that enhance the functionality or reliability of this tool.