Standard conforming strings with postegress and RDS

To ensure that the standard_conforming_strings setting is enabled in your PostgreSQL database on Amazon RDS, you should follow a structured approach to modify this parameter correctly. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

1. Understand the Setting

• standard_conforming_strings: When set to on, it makes PostgreSQL conform to the SQL standard by treating backslashes as literal characters within SQL strings. When off, backslashes are treated as escape characters.

2. Modify the Parameter Group For Amazon RDS, database settings are controlled through parameter groups. If the database does not reflect changes after a restart, it might be because the parameter group settings have not been properly configured.

Steps to Modify Parameter Group: 2.1. Identify the Parameter Group: Determine which parameter group is associated with your PostgreSQL instance. This can be done through the RDS console.

2.2. Modify the Parameter:

• Go to the RDS dashboard in the AWS Management Console.
• Navigate to Parameter groups.
• Find the parameter group linked to your database instance.
• Search for standard_conforming_strings in the parameter list.
• Change the value from off to on.
• Save changes.

2.3. Apply Changes:

• Changes to a parameter group do not take effect until you manually reboot the associated database instances.
• Navigate to Instances, select your database instance.
• Click on Instance Actions, and select Reboot.
• Confirm the reboot; this action will make the changes take effect.

3. Verify the Setting After the instance is rebooted, verify that the standard_conforming_strings setting is enabled:

• Connect to your PostgreSQL Database: Use a PostgreSQL client like psql to connect to your database. Execute the following SQL command to check the status of standard_conforming_strings:

SHOW standard_conforming_strings;

4. Troubleshooting

• Check Parameter Group: Ensure that the instance is linked to the correct parameter group where the changes were made.
• Permissions: Ensure that your AWS IAM user has sufficient permissions to modify RDS instances and parameter groups.
• AWS Documentation and Support: If problems persist, consult AWS Documentation or contact AWS Support for assistance specific to your account and configuration.

5. Considerations

• Application Impact: Changing how strings are escaped can affect how queries are written and how string data is handled in your application. Ensure your application's queries are compatible with this setting.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully enable standard_conforming_strings in your PostgreSQL on AWS RDS. If the setting still appears to be off after these steps, double-check each step for accuracy or consider reaching out to AWS support for a deeper investigation into your specific instance configuration.