Understanding Postgres Performance Limits for Analytics on Live Data

The Optimization Treadmill: every “correct” Postgres fix (indexes, partitions, replicas) buys less time while limits stay fixed. Learn when optimization stops working—and when the architecture itself must change.
May 13, 2026

Meet the Optimization Treadmill - where every “correct” Postgres fix (indexes, partitions, replicas) buys less time while the ceiling stays the same. Analytical workloads expose mechanical limits in MVCC, row storage, planning costs, and WAL that compound as data grows. Learn how to recognize when you’re optimizing… and when the architecture itself is the problem.