Discover the joyous addiction of databases and data science using data from space.

It's a secret that most DBAs don't want 'app devs' to know: databases are fun and the job is rewarding... if you're good. See for yourself in this real-world journey using real data from Cassini's exploration of Saturn and its moon, Enceladus.

You've found yourself in charge of a database full of critical data... now what?

Data is a powerful drug - it's the life blood of your business and it's often ignored and abused until it's far, far too late. 

No on cares about the database until it's time to answer the tough questions. 

So, uh, we're meeting with some VCs next week... can you write some queries for me? You're the one who knows SQL the best... 

This is how I started my career in the database world: because I had to in order to save the project I was on. This is how DBAs are born: on the job and under fire. 

Sound familiar? No one sets out to become a DBA, the job just lands in your lap. It's terrifying to some people, but for others it's the best thing that's ever happened to their career.

Wait... you wrote what? A sci-fi book about PostgreSQL?

Yep, that's right! Why do programming books have to be academic walls of dry text? I learned more about rockets, Mars and space in general reading The Martian from Andy Weir than I ever did at school... why can't we learn about databases in the same way?.

Join our intern, Dee, as she learns Postgres on the job

A Curious Moon is Dee's journal, chronicling her journey from intern to DBA pro – but there is so, so much more. You can't be a DBA unless you understand your data down to the bones, which is what Dee needs to do if she's going to succeed. 


Her dataset is from Cassini, specifically its time spent flying by Enceladus, an icy little moon about 300 miles in diameter, orbiting Saturn smack in the middle of it's "E Ring". This moon has an ocean that's protected under and icy shell, but superheated at the poles, jetting plumes of seawater into space. 


That seawater is just like our own and NASA thinks there might be life up there... the answer could be in the very data you're about to analyze.

A Treasure Trove

I’ve found the book to be a treasure trove of Postgres features. CTEs are blowing my mind right now. I’m a backend engineer, and I’ve been sharing what I’ve learned with my coworker who is a DBA. She is picking up some tips through me now! I haven’t found a good, engaging tutorial for these intermediate/advanced Postgres tricks, and "A Curious Moon" fills this gap. As a bonus, I’m also picking up some bash tips from the book.

Loren Stewart
New Database Enthusiast
SO, WHO AM I TO BE SHOWING YOU THIS STUFF?

I’m Rob Conery and I’ve been building software for over 25 years without a CS degree. I’ve created applications for huge corporations including Ameritech and Southwest Bell. I’ve contracted to Visa, Google, Starbucks and PayPal - creating their very first developer portal back in 2005. I wrote an open source e-commerce site for Microsoft that was demoed on stage by Steve Ballmer at Tech Ed, Microsoft’s biggest developer conference (now //Build). 


I started my career as a DBA, when I was handed 180 Excel spreadsheets and asked if I knew how to import them into Access. I didn't, but I learned.


In 2012 I started working with PostgreSQL and could not believe the raw power and joy of this platform. I'll share all of it with you in this book.

"I am loving the book! The narrative format is like no other programming book I've ever read, and it's really keeping me engaged and interested. I've struggled in the past to keep pushing through programming books that are dry & stock standard, but the characters in A Curious Moon make the book relatable and it makes me want to learn."

Meggan Turner
Software Engineer

"I just finished Rob Conery's book "A curious moon". Very enjoyable, funny, interesting. So not your usual technical book, so much better in so many ways. I was hooked. PostgreSQL in a scifi story, I would sure love another one like this."

Guillaume Lelarge
PostgreSQL Contributor

"I really am enjoying this book! It is one of the best technical books I've ever read, and I read more than 40 books per year (technical and non-technical). What I like most about this book is that you mixed a sci-fi story with technical writing. It is like a novel for geeks!"

George Chatzimanolas
Entrepreneur

"Aut dicta commodi nostrum quidem delectus molestiae ad et ex odit."

Samantha
CEO / Founder

"Reading through A Curious Moon... It's like reading The Martian, only instead of trying to survive in the hostile environment of another planet, it's about trying to survive in the hostile environment of snarky DBAs. Compulsively readable. Recommended.."

Josh Tompkins
Software Engineer

"Highly recommend A Curious Moon to anyone looking to hone their SQL skills. The book has such an unique style. It’s like reading The Martian."

Rolando Murillo
Software Engineer

"Learning SQL beyond simple SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE is the best approach. There are so many sql language constructs the most developers are unaware of. I really would recommend the curious moon book for some playful sql learning!"

Tobias Petry
DBA

"Aut dicta commodi nostrum quidem delectus molestiae ad et ex odit."

Samantha
CEO / Founder
Add 2.5 hours of video to the
experience and save 30%

In 2022 I created "SQL in Orbit", a 2.5 hour video course that uses the content from A Curious Moon, but expands on it. If you're a visual person, this course is for you. 

Get Both and Save

Get SQL in Orbit

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A Curious Moon

Checkout is quick and simple, and you'll have immediate access to the digital book (EPUB and PDF, no print). Working with data is fun and addictive, so let's do it the right way, with real data from space. 

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