22-25 April 2026 
Navigating SQL Server to PostgreSQL Migrations and How DBAs Keep Their Sanity
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Migrating from SQL Server to PostgreSQL is more than a database change, but a fundamental shift in how DBAs think, design, and operate. PostgreSQL brings flexibility and performance, but assumptions from SQL Server do not always carry over cleanly.
In this session, Kellyn walks through what actually works, what breaks, and what usually surprises teams during real-world migrations. You will learn where DBAs struggle most, from schema design and indexing to transaction behavior and procedural code, and how to reduce risk using phased migrations, validation strategies, and performance baselining.
Session Details
Migrating from SQL Server to PostgreSQL is not just a platform change; it is an operating model shift for DBAs. While PostgreSQL offers flexibility, performance, and cost advantages, it requires rethinking how you design schema, tune queries, manage availability, and monitor production workloads. Assumptions that work in SQL Server break in Postgres in subtle and sometimes painful ways.
This session focuses on real-world migration strategies for SQL Server DBAs moving into PostgreSQL. Kellyn will cover what translates cleanly, what does not, and where teams get into trouble. This includes data type mismatches, identity columns, indexing strategies, query planner behavior, transaction semantics, locking differences, and procedural code rewrites. You will learn how to migrate safely using phased approaches, validation techniques, and performance baselining that reduce risk and downtime.
Tooling matters, especially when you will be expected to handle both platforms during the transition. We will review proven tools for schema conversion, data movement, testing, and cutover, as well as cross-platform monitoring approaches that allow DBAs to maintain visibility throughout the migration lifecycle. Topics include migration automation, workload replay, performance comparison, index analysis, and operational observability for mixed SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments.
Whether you are planning your first migration or are already deep into one, this session gives you a practical playbook for reducing risk, maintaining control, and arriving in PostgreSQL with a stable, supportable system and your reputation intact.
This session focuses on real-world migration strategies for SQL Server DBAs moving into PostgreSQL. Kellyn will cover what translates cleanly, what does not, and where teams get into trouble. This includes data type mismatches, identity columns, indexing strategies, query planner behavior, transaction semantics, locking differences, and procedural code rewrites. You will learn how to migrate safely using phased approaches, validation techniques, and performance baselining that reduce risk and downtime.
Tooling matters, especially when you will be expected to handle both platforms during the transition. We will review proven tools for schema conversion, data movement, testing, and cutover, as well as cross-platform monitoring approaches that allow DBAs to maintain visibility throughout the migration lifecycle. Topics include migration automation, workload replay, performance comparison, index analysis, and operational observability for mixed SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments.
Whether you are planning your first migration or are already deep into one, this session gives you a practical playbook for reducing risk, maintaining control, and arriving in PostgreSQL with a stable, supportable system and your reputation intact.
3 things you'll get out of this session
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
• Distinguish between SQL Server features and behaviors that translate directly to PostgreSQL and those that require redesign
• Identify the most common failure points in SQL Server to PostgreSQL migrations and how to avoid them
• Evaluate schema differences including data types, identity columns, and indexing models
• Understand PostgreSQL query planner behavior and how it differs from SQL Server optimization
• Apply migration patterns that reduce downtime, minimize risk, and preserve performance