PostgreSQL
This article outlines the integration with the PostgreSQL connector, enabling efficient data management through features such as crawling, profiling, query sheet, data preview, and lineage building (both automatic and manual).
The connector establishes connectivity to PostgreSQL through JDBC and uses service account credentials to access the PostgreSQL database and its metadata objects. It supports authentication through Username and Password credentials configured for the PostgreSQL service account.
Overview
Connector Details
Connector Category
RDBMS
OvalEdge Release Supported
Release6.x and later
Connectivity
[How the connection is established with PostgreSQL]
JDBC
Verified PostgreSQL Version
Above 6.0
Connector Features
Crawling
✅
Delta Crawling
❌
Profiling
✅
Query Sheet
✅
Data Preview
✅
Auto Lineage
✅ To learn more, click here.
Manual Lineage
✅
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager
✅
Data Quality
✅
DAM (Data Access Management)
❌
Bridge
✅
Metadata Mapping
The following objects are crawled from PostgreSQL and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.
Table
Table Name
Table
Tables
table
Table
Table Type
Table
Tables
table
Table
Table Comments
Source Description
Descriptions
Source Description
Columns
Column Name
Column
Table Columns
-
Columns
Data Type
Column Type
Table Columns
-
Columns
Description
Source Description
Table Columns
-
Columns
Ordinal Position
Column Position
Table Columns
-
Columns
Length
Data Type Size
Table Columns
-
Views
View Name
View
Tables
view
Views
View_Definition/Definition
View Query
Views
View
Procedures
nspname
Name
Procedures
-
Procedures
nspname
Source Description
Descriptions
-
Procedures
Prosrc
Procedure
Procedures
-
Functions
nspname
Name
Functions
-
Functions
Function_Definition
Function
Functions
-
Functions
Description
Source Description
Descriptions
-
Triggers
Trigger Name
Name
Triggers
-
Triggers
action_statement
Trigger Data
Triggers
-
Set up a Connection
Prerequisites
The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection:
Whitelisting Ports
Make sure that the inbound port “5432” is whitelisted to enable successful connectivity with the PostgreSQL database.
The default port number for PostgreSQL is 5432. If a different port is used, ensure that the updated port number is specified during connection setup, the port is whitelisted, and communication between the system and PostgreSQL is properly established.
Service Account User Permissions
It is recommended to use a separate service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.
Crawling & Profiling
Schemas
information_schema.schemata
USAGE
Crawling & Profiling
Tables
information_schema.tables, pg_matviews
SELECT
Crawling & Profiling
Table Columns
pg_attribute, pg_class, pg_namespace, information_schema.columns
SELECT
Crawling, Profiling & Lineage Building
Views
information_schema.views, pg_matviews
SELECT
Crawling & Lineage Building
Functions
pg_proc, pg_namespace, pg_language, pg_type
EXECUTE
Crawling & Lineage Building
Stored Procedures
pg_proc, pg_namespace, pg_language, pg_type
EXECUTE
Crawling
Triggers
information_schema.triggers
EXECUTE
Crawling
Relationships
information_schema.referential_constraints, information_schema.key_column_usage
REFERENCES
Connection Configuration Steps
Important: You must have the Connector Creator role to set up a connection in OvalEdge.
Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for PostgreSQL, and complete the required parameters.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.
Connector Type
By default, "PostgreSQL" is displayed as the selected connector type.
Credential Manager*
Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on your selection.
Supported Credential Managers:
OE Credential Manager
AWS Secrets Manager
HashiCorp Vault
Azure Key Vault
For more details, click here.
License Add Ons
Select the checkbox for Auto Lineage Add-On to build data lineage automatically.
Select the checkbox for Data Quality Add-On to identify data quality issues using data quality rules and anomaly detection.
For more details, click here.
Connector Name*
Enter a unique name for the PostgreSQL connection.
Connector Environment
Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector. For more details, click here.
Connector Description
Enter a brief description of the connector.
Server*
Enter the PostgreSQL database server name or IP address. (Example: xxxx-xxxxxxx.xxxx4ijtzasl.xx-south-1.rds.amazonaws.com or 1xx.xxx.1.xx).
Port*
By default, the port number for PostgreSQL, 5432, is auto-populated. If required, you can change it to a custom port number configured for your PostgreSQL.
Database*
Enter the database name to which the service account user has access within the PostgreSQL.
Driver*
By default, the PostgreSQL driver details are auto-populated.
Username*
Enter the service account username configured to access the PostgreSQL database (example: "oesauser").
Password*
Enter the password associated with the service account user.
Connection String
Configure the connection string for the PostgreSQL database:
Automatic mode: The system generates a connection string based on the provided credentials.
Manual mode: Enter a valid connection string manually.
Replace placeholders with actual database details.
{sid} refers to the database name.
Plugin Server
Enter the server name when running as a plugin server.
Plugin Port
Enter the port number on which the plugin is running.
After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:
Click Validate to verify the connection.
Click Save to store the connection for future use.
Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.
The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.
Manage Connector Operations
Crawl/Profile
To perform crawl and profile operations, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.
The Crawl/Profile button allows users to select one or more schemas for crawling and profiling.
Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.
Select the schemas to be crawled.
The Crawl option is selected by default. To perform both operations, select the Crawl & Profile radio button.
Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the Data Catalog.
After a successful crawl, the information appears in the Data Catalog > Databases tab.
The Schedule checkbox allows automated crawling and profiling at defined intervals, from a minute to a year.
Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.
Select a time interval for the operation from the drop-down menu.
Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.
The system will automatically execute the selected operation (Crawl or Crawl & Profile) at the scheduled time.
Other Operations
The Connectors page provides a centralized view of all configured connectors, along with their health status.
Managing connectors includes:
Connector Health: Displays the current status of each connector using a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor connectivity with data sources.
Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details.
Nine Dots Menu Options:
You can view, edit, validate, build lineage, modify connector settings, and delete connectors using the Nine Dots menu.
Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.
Validate Connector: Check the connection's integrity.
Settings: Modify connector settings.
Crawler: Configure data extraction.
Profiler: Customize data profiling rules and methods.
Query Policies: Define query execution rules based on roles.
Access Instructions: Add notes on how data can be accessed.
Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.
Anomaly Detection Settings: Configure anomaly detection preferences at the connector level.
Connection Pooling: Configure database connection pool parameters to optimize database connectivity and resource utilization. For more details, click here.
Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.
Build Lineage: Automatically build data lineage using source code parsing.
Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.
For more details on connector settings, click here.
Troubleshooting
If incorrect parameters are provided, you may encounter error messages. To resolve these issues, ensure all input is correct. If problems persist, contact your assigned OvalEdge support team.
1
password authentication failed
The service account password entered during connection setup does not match the password configured on the PostgreSQL source system.
Resolution:
Confirm the correct password for the service account with the database administrator.
Re-enter the password in the connection setup form and revalidate.
If a credential manager (HashiCorp, AWS Secret Manager, or Azure Key Vault) is being used, confirm the correct key name is mapped, since an incorrect or missing key will cause the raw value to be used as the password instead of the intended secret.
2
Connection validation fails immediately, before any schema or table information is retrieved
The service account does not have connect permission on the target database. This permission is checked first during validation, so validation stops at this point regardless of other permissions being correctly assigned.
Resolution:
Grant connect permission on the database entered in the connection form.
Run the required GRANT statement on the source system.
Revalidate the connection.
3
Exception occured while validating the PostgreSql Connection : Failed to obtain JDBC Connection; nested exception is xxx.postgresql.xxx.PSQLException: FATAL: database "xxxxx" does not exist
The database name provided is invalid.
Resolution:
You provided an incorrect database name in the setup form's Database Name field.
Ensure that the database name is correctly spelled and exists in the target system.
1
Tables, views, procedures, or functions expected in the catalog do not appear after a successful crawl
The required metadata type may not be selected in Crawler Options, the object may be excluded by a Crawler Rule, or the required permissions may be missing.
Resolution:
Verify that the required metadata type is selected under Crawler Options.
Check the Include and Exclude Regex fields under Crawler Rules to ensure the required object is not filtered out.
Review the regex configured for the relevant schema, table, view, column, procedure, or function.
Verify that the required permissions are available for the object.
2
Previously cataloged tables or columns now display as deleted or inactive
This occurs when a permission that was previously granted to the service account (such as SELECT on a table) has since been revoked, or the underlying object has been removed on the source system after an earlier successful crawl.
Resolution:
Confirm with the database administrator whether the relevant permission was intentionally revoked or the object was removed.
Reinstate the required permission on the source system if continued access to that object is expected.
Re-run the crawl once permissions are restored to refresh the object status.
3
Primary key and foreign key relationships are not appearing between tables, even though the tables themselves are cataloged correctly
This is caused by the references permission on the tables not being granted to the service account. This specific permission controls whether relationship information (primary key and foreign key constraints) can be retrieved, separately from select permission on the tables themselves.
Resolution:
Confirm references permission has been granted on the relevant tables in addition to select permission.
Apply the required grant statement on the source system for the affected tables.
Re-run the crawl and confirm relationship information now appears against the affected tables.
FAQs
1
Which versions of PostgreSQL are supported?
Versions from 6.0 onward are technically compatible, since the underlying connector logic was originally built against version 7.2 and continues to work with older releases.
Active support is maintained for versions 14 through 18/19:
These are the versions currently maintained and patched by PostgreSQL
Versions below 14 are considered legacy on the PostgreSQL side and no longer receive official patches
Connectivity may still work for older versions, but they fall outside the actively tested range
2
What is the default port, and what should be checked before setup?
The default port used for PostgreSQL connections is 5432.Before setting up the connection, the following should be checked:
Firewall or security group rules allow traffic on this port between the application and the database server
DNS correctly resolves the server address from the application side
The application server IP is allow-listed on the PostgreSQL side, since the database administrator may need to permit it explicitly
The PostgreSQL service itself is running and actively listening on the configured port
1
What permissions are required on the PostgreSQL source system?
The following permissions must be granted to the service account being used:
Connect permission on the target database, required before any other validation can proceed
Usage permission on each schema that needs to be visible
Select permission on all tables and views that need to be retrieved
Execute permission on procedures, functions, and triggers that need to be retrieved
References permission on tables where primary key and foreign key relationship information is required
If any one of these permissions is missing for a specific object, only that particular object is affected. Other objects with correct permissions continue to be retrieved normally.
Copyright © 2025, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners GA USA
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