SQL Server → PostgreSQL

An eight-part translation guide for developers who know SQL Server and are moving to PostgreSQL — schemas, data types, T-SQL differences, PL/pgSQL, performance, backup and restore, and the migration itself. Current for PostgreSQL 18.

8 parts · ~50 min of reading, in order, nothing assumed.

Start with Part 1

🔧 T-SQL → PostgreSQL translator 🔧 Migration assessment report

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 1

SQL Server to PostgreSQL: Why Switch, and What to Expect

Thinking about moving from SQL Server to PostgreSQL? Why teams switch, what stays familiar, what changes, and how to get your first Postgres running. Aug 6, 2026 5 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 2

Instances, Databases, Schemas and Roles: Remapping Your Mental Model

Instance vs cluster, dbo vs public, logins vs roles, and why cross-database queries don't work the way you expect. Remap your SQL Server mental model. Aug 6, 2026 6 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 3

Data Types: The SQL Server → PostgreSQL Translation Table

NVARCHAR to text, DATETIME2 to timestamptz, UNIQUEIDENTIFIER to uuid — the full data-type translation table, plus the new powers of jsonb and arrays. Aug 6, 2026 6 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 4

The T-SQL → PostgreSQL Phrasebook

TOP to LIMIT, ISNULL to COALESCE, SCOPE_IDENTITY to RETURNING, MERGE to ON CONFLICT — the everyday translation guide you'll keep bookmarked. Aug 6, 2026 7 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 5

Stored Procedures, Functions and Triggers in PL/pgSQL

Rewrite T-SQL stored procedures in PL/pgSQL: procedures vs functions, RAISE NOTICE, RETURNS TABLE and triggers — with a real procedure translated line by line. Aug 6, 2026 7 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 6

Indexes, MVCC and Performance: Unlearning the Clustered Index

PostgreSQL has no clustered index — and readers never block writers. MVCC, VACUUM, EXPLAIN ANALYZE and the new index types, explained for SQL Server folks. Aug 6, 2026 7 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 7

Backup and Restore in PostgreSQL, for SQL Server DBAs

Full, differential and log backups all have PostgreSQL equivalents: pg_dump, pg_basebackup and WAL archiving with point-in-time recovery — mapped to what you already know. Aug 6, 2026 6 min read

SQL Server → PostgreSQL · Part 8

PostgreSQL with .NET and EF Core — and Your Migration Plan

Connect .NET to PostgreSQL with Npgsql and EF Core, move the actual data, and wrap up the series with a practical switch-over checklist. Aug 6, 2026 6 min read