BUG #15889: PostgreSQL failed to build due to error MSB8020 with MSVC on windows

The following bug has been logged on the website:

Bug reference: 15889
Logged by: Gao Lin
Email address: gaolin01(at)beyondsoft(dot)com
PostgreSQL version: 11.4
Operating system: Windows Server 2016
Description:

Environment:
Windows Server 2016 + VS2017 + PostgreSQL master branch latest srouce
code.

PostgreSQL failed to build due to error MSB8020: The build tools for v142
(Platform Toolset = 'v142') cannot be found with MSVC on windows. It can be
first reproduced on master branch 2b1394fc2b52a2573d08aa626e7b49568f27464e
reversion which is 'Add support for Visual Studio 2019 in build scripts'.

Further investigation we found that VS2017 does not seem to be supported in
this commit. We mainly use open source projects to test VS compilers.
Currently we are using VS2017 and there is no plan to migrate to VS2019.
Could you please help look at this issue and provide a work around to us to
solve this issue? Thanks a lot!

Failures:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio\2017\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\VC\VCTargets\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(57,5):
error MSB8020: The build tools for v142 (Platform Toolset = 'v142') cannot
be found. To build using the v142 build tools, please install v142 build
tools. Alternatively, you may upgrade to the current Visual Studio tools by
selecting the Project menu or right-click the solution, and then selecting
"Retarget solution". [D:\PostgreSQL\src\postgres.vcxproj]