PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL, also known as Postgres, is a free and open-source relational database management system emphasizing extensibility and SQL compliance.

Overview

Hightouch lets you pull data stored in your PostgreSQL database and push it to downstream destinations. Most of the setup occurs in the Hightouch UI, but you need access to your PostgreSQL instance for information like your host, port, database name, and credentials.

Connection configuration

To get started, go to the Sources overview page and click the Add source button. Select PostgreSQL and follow the steps below.

Choose connection type

Hightouch can connect directly to PostgreSQL over the public internet or via an SSH tunnel. Since data is encrypted in transit via TLS, a direct connection is suitable for most use cases. You may need to set up a tunnel if your PostgreSQL instance is on a private network or virtual private cloud (VPC).

Hightouch supports both standard and reverse SSH tunnels. To learn more about SSH tunneling, refer to Hightouch's tunneling documentation.

Configure your source

Enter the following required fields into Hightouch:

• Host: The hostname or IP address of your PostgreSQL server.
• Port: The port number of your PostgreSQL server. The default port number is 5432, but yours may be different.
• Database: This specifies the database to use when Hightouch executes queries in PostgreSQL.

Choose your sync engine

For optimal performance, Hightouch tracks incremental changes in your data model—such as added, changed, or removed rows—and only syncs those records. You can choose between two different sync engines for this work.

The Basic engine requires read-only access to PostgreSQL. Hightouch executes a query in your database, reads all query results, and then determines incremental changes using Hightouch's infrastructure. This engine is easier to set up since it requires read—not write—access to PostgreSQL.

The Lightning engine requires read and write access to PostgreSQL. The engine stores previously synced data in a separate schema in PostgreSQL managed by Hightouch. In other words, the engine uses PostgreSQL to track incremental changes to your data rather than performing these calculations in Hightouch. Therefore, these computations are completed more quickly.

Hightouch recommends using the Lightning sync engine when syncing more than 100 thousand rows of data.

If you select the Basic engine, you can switch to the Lightning engine later. Once you've configured the Lightning engine, you can't move back to the Basic engine without recreating PostgreSQL as a source.

To learn more, including migration steps and tips, check out the Lightning sync engine docs.

Basic versus Lightning engine comparison

The Lightning sync engine requires granting write access to your data warehouse, which makes its setup more involved than the Basic sync engine. However, it is more performant and reliable than the Basic engine. This makes it the ideal choice to guarantee faster syncs, especially with large data models. It also supports more features, such as Warehouse Sync Logs, Match Booster, and Identity Resolution.

Lightning engine setup

To set up the Lightning engine, you need to grant Hightouch write access to PostgreSQL. You can do so by running the following SQL snippet.

CREATE USER hightouch_user WITH PASSWORD '********';
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS hightouch_audit;
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS hightouch_planner;
GRANT CREATE, USAGE ON SCHEMA hightouch_audit TO hightouch_user;
GRANT CREATE, USAGE ON SCHEMA hightouch_planner TO hightouch_user;

The snippet creates a dedicated PostgreSQL user for Hightouch. It also provisions two schemas (hightouch_planner and hightouch_audit) for storing logs of previously synced data.

Provide credentials

Enter the following fields into Hightouch:

• User: This can be your personal PostgreSQL login or a dedicated user for Hightouch. At minimum, this user must have read access to the data you wish to sync. If using the Lightning sync engine, you must also grant this user additional permissions as described above.
• Password: The password for the user specified above.

Test your connection

Next steps

Once your source configuration has passed the necessary validation, your source setup is complete. Next, you can set up models to define which data you want to pull from PostgreSQL.

The PostgreSQL source supports these modeling methods:

• writing a query in the SQL editor
• using the visual table selector
• leveraging existing dbt models
• leveraging existing Looker Looks
• leveraging existing Sigma workbooks

Tips and troubleshooting

If you encounter an error or question not listed below and need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help.

Canceling statement due to statement timeout

This error occurs when the required execution time of your PostgreSQL query exceeds the timeout limit for the database. To address the error, increase the timeout by executing the following query:

set statement_timeout = '300 s'; -- 300 seconds, 5 minutes

Be sure to adjust the time to be as long as it takes for your query to execute.

Terminating connection due to conflict with recovery

This error can happen if the max_standby_archive_delay and max_standby_streaming_delay values in your PostgreSQL configuration are too low. Try increasing them as suggested in the AWS Knowledge Center.