Re: When should log events be captured in a database?

--As of January 11, 2012 4:06:06 PM -0800, James Hartley is alleged to have
said:

> So, I come back full circle.  Even PostgreSQL itself has its log
> files.  Not everything is written to database tables proper.  Yet at
> what point does data take on a new status such that it should be
> collected in a database over simply being written to logs?

--As for the rest, it is mine.

My opinion:

Databases are good for trend analysis, or for pulling up a random logged
event. A log file is good for showing a sequence of events in time.

So: Why are you collecting the log data? If it's to perform performance
analysis or something similar, I'd probably want it in a database. I'd
also want it in a database if I expected to have to answer 'when did this
event happen?' If however I'm expecting to use it to troubleshoot problem
events where something went wrong with the service, I'd rather it was in a
file.

Daniel T. Staal

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