Exploring Postgres Databases with Graphs
summary
Argues that static ERDs fail as documentation and presents a working CLI called Pdo CLI that introspects a running Postgres and renders up-to-date graphs (foreign keys, view dependencies, trigger cascades, grants/role inheritance) using graphviz+DOT and outputable as PNG or mermaid. Parsing uses treesitter SQL and reports a trust ratio for ambiguous PL/pgSQL. Shows that real databases cluster (example ratio ~1.24 relationships per table), rendering is near‑instant in an image‑capable terminal, and the tool successfully replaces bulky ERDs with navigable, focused views.
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chapters (13)
- 0:00Introduction and problems
- 1:54Challenges with ERDs
- 3:01The Diátaxis framework
- 5:22Critique of documentation
- 8:19ERDs as tutorials
- 10:00Tooling requirements
- 13:51Exploring pdot features
- 26:10Rendering and output
- 27:54Psychology of learning
- 36:02Cognitive chunking
- 38:44Filtering for relevance
- 45:44Group and team learning
- 49:32Q&A and conclusion
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