With the success of the PostgreSQL for Mac project, it was quickly decided that there is still more to be done, and that with the current structure, there really isn't enough money to fund everything that needs to be done. PostgreSQL Data Studio is all about filling both gaps.

First, what is PostgreSQL Data Studio? well that is a long story. Over the past several years there have been many different tools to approach managing a database, but few have really been 'intuitive' or approachable. Product like pgAdmin III, TOAD, Microsoft's SQL Management Studio, Microsoft's Enterprise Manager, and even Oracle's Java based tools have all approached the problems, each with varying degree's of success. We've used most of these, and others, yet none of them really felt like the right tool, and none are really Mac-like solutions. So that is where the idea for the Data Studio originated.

During the early days of the PostgreSQL for Mac project, we had a bunch of discussions about this tool, but we needed a foundation first. Out of that came the lightweight tools that make up the GUI tools and pgCocoaDB that are part of the PostgreSQL for Mac distribution. Unfortunately, that work, and the subsequent experience from the ODBCKit led us to the conclusion that pgCocoaDB needed some significant changes to be the foundation we needed for the Data Studio project.

So with that, we set out to build a new foundation to eventually replace pgCocoaDB. That is now the PGSQLKit. Like pgCocoaDB, PGSQLKit will be made availble under the same BSD license. The Data Studio is built upon that foundation. The PGSQLKit will be made available to developers before the Data Studio is released in pre-1.0 revisions.

The Data Studio itself however is a desktop application for managing your data in PostgreSQL databases. Treating each database connection as a single document window, the user will be treated to a quickly navigable view of the database structure, with tools to manage all of the schema elements, including users and groups, in addition to the tables, triggers, view and other dependancies. Built from the ground up targetting the 8.x versions of PostgreSQL, there is full support for namespaces and the new features of the database. In addition, there are tools for backup & and restoration of databases and data elements. Also included are tools for exporting to XML when paired with the Database Automator Action Pack, it is possible to perform simple data transformations and data automation workflows.

Availability is going to be middle of 2008, with pricing to be determined. Check back often as we expand the details with screenshots and details about the product and as we get closer to launch, introductory pricing for early adopters.