PostgreSQL 17 Beta 2 Released!

The PostgreSQL Global Development Group announces that the second beta release of
PostgreSQL 17 is now [available for download](https://www.postgresql.org/download/).
This release contains previews of all features that will be available when
PostgreSQL 17 is made generally available, though some details of the release
can change during the beta period.

You can find information about all of the PostgreSQL 17 features and changes in
the [release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html):

[https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html)

In the spirit of the open source PostgreSQL community, we strongly encourage you
to test the new features of PostgreSQL 17 on your systems to help us eliminate
bugs or other issues that may exist. While we do not advise you to run
PostgreSQL 17 Beta 2 in production environments, we encourage you to find ways
to run your typical application workloads against this beta release.

Your testing and feedback will help the community ensure that the PostgreSQL 17
release upholds our standards of delivering a stable, reliable release of the
world's most advanced open source relational database. Please read more about
our [beta testing process](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/) and how
you can contribute:

[https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/)

Upgrading to PostgreSQL 17 Beta 2
---------------------------------

To upgrade to PostgreSQL 17 Beta 2 from an earlier version of PostgreSQL,
you will need to use a strategy similar to upgrading between major versions of
PostgreSQL (e.g. `pg_upgrade` or `pg_dump` / `pg_restore`). For more
information, please visit the documentation section on
[upgrading](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/static/upgrading.html).

Changes Since Beta 1
--------------------

Fixes and changes in PostgreSQL 17 Beta 2 include:

* Correctly enforce the default behavior of the `ON EMPTY` clause when it's
not present in a SQL/JSON query.
* Fixed issue with `pg_logical_slot_get_changes` related to resource ownership.
* Several fixes around the new data structure for vacuum-related data.

Please see the [release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html)
for a complete list of new and changed features:

[https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html)

Testing for Bugs & Compatibility
--------------------------------

The stability of each PostgreSQL release greatly depends on you, the community,
to test the upcoming version with your workloads and testing tools in order to
find bugs and regressions before the general availability of PostgreSQL 17. As
this is a Beta, minor changes to database behaviors, feature details, and APIs
are still possible. Your feedback and testing will help determine the final
tweaks on the new features, so please test in the near future. The quality of
user testing helps determine when we can make a final release.

A list of [open issues](https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/PostgreSQL_17_Open_Items)
is publicly available in the PostgreSQL wiki. You can
[report bugs](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/) using this form on
the PostgreSQL website:

[https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/)

Beta Schedule
-------------

This is the second beta release of version 17. The PostgreSQL Project will
release additional betas as required for testing, followed by one or more
release candidates, until the final release around September/October 2024. For further
information please see the [Beta Testing](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/)
page.

Links
-----

* [Download](https://www.postgresql.org/download/)
* [Beta Testing Information](https://www.postgresql.org/developer/beta/)
* [PostgreSQL 17 Beta Release Notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/release-17.html)
* [PostgreSQL 17 Open Issues](https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/PostgreSQL_17_Open_Items)
* [Feature Matrix](https://www.postgresql.org/about/featurematrix/)
* [Submit a Bug](https://www.postgresql.org/account/submitbug/)
* [Follow @postgresql on X/Twitter](https://twitter.com/postgresql)
* [Donate](https://www.postgresql.org/about/donate/)