View Source: MySQL - Waikato Linux Users Group

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[MySQL | http://www.mysql.com/] is a PostRelationalDataBase management system. It is the canonical example of a successful commercial OpenSource product. This has been attributed primarily to the fact that it's DualLicensed.

Some also say it is devil spawn or a horrible piece of badly written software. It's very fast at low loads because it's hardly more than a glorified flat file database with an [SQL] interface, but that comes at the expense of any feature anyone would find useful (transactions, as one example). It sucks at large joins and has trouble handling tables with a few million rows in them.

If you want a relational DataBase, use [PostgreSQL]. You'll love yourself forever if you do.

See also [PostgreSQL], PostgresVsMysql, [DB2], [Oracle]


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> For a large portion of the new markets being created by [MySQL], this advantage ''~[easy to install while reasonably useful, Ed.]'' matters a lot more than missing features and poor [ACID] semantics.  If this shocks you, then remember that [MySQL] is used for the InterNet-enabled version of what people used to use MicrosoftAccess for.  Compare [MySQL] to Access on technical grounds -- who wins?
-- ''Ben Tilly'' in [20040629182643.8C4E33AA2A1@ws5-8.us4.outblaze.com | http://www.crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?mss:9222]

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    ''Loud jarring chord!''

    ''The door flies open and BillGates of [Microsoft] enters, flanked by two junior cardinals. Steve Ballmer has goggles pushed over his forehead. Sam Palmisano ([IBM]) is just an idiot.''

    __GATES__: ''Nobody'' expects the [InfoWorld Article | http://infoworld.com/articles/pl/xml/02/09/23/020923pldman.xml]! The chief thing missing from [MySQL] is subselects...subselects and views...views and subselects.... The two things missing are views and subselects...and triggers.... The ''three'' things missing are views, subselects and triggers...and an almost fanatical devotion to row-level transactions.... The ''four''... no... ''Amongst'' the things missing from MySQL ...are such elements as views, subselects.... I'll come in again.

    ''Exit and exeunt''

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<br> __When should I use [MySQL]?__ :
    When your primary concern is the speed of simple <tt>SELECT</tt> queries for few concurrent users. Even then [PostgreSQL] is getting much quicker at these.
<br> __When should I not use [MySQL]?__ :
    When you think "It's only going to ever be a small web site...", and there's a chance it could grow into a big one.  If at any point you think you might need to change to something else, start with that other system instead.
<br> __How can I lessen the impact of having to switch later on?__ :
    Use PearDB in your [PHP] scripts, or DBI in your [Perl] scripts.

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!!! WARNING

* DO NOT USE MYSQL'S <tt>RAND()</tt> FUNCTION, IT CAUSES YOUR DATABASE TO DISAPPEAR
* DO NOT LET MYSQL'S PARTITION FULL UP, IT CAUSES YOUR DATABASE TO CORRUPT
* DO NOT USE MYSQL UNDER LOAD, IT CAUSES YOUR DATABASE TO CORRUPT
* DON'T LOOK AT THE MYSQL SERVER IN THE WRONG TONE OF VOICE, IT CAUSES YOUR DATABASE TO CORRUPT

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!! See Also

* Bob Ippolito [hates MySQL | http://bob.pythonmac.org/archives/2005/08/12/mysql-hate/]
* [MySQL] has a page where it will unit test the [DBMS]s of your choice and give [a breakdown on whether the feature was available | http://www.mysql.com/information/features.html].
* An indepth article on [real world performance testing of MySQL and PostgreSQL | http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/tim20000705.php3?page=1].
* [Issues to be aware of when using MySQL | http://sql-info.de/mysql/gotchas.html]
* [DB comparison against standards|http://troels.arvin.dk/db/rdbms/]
* Reuven Lerner’s description of [MySQL|http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/9571], [PostgreSQL|http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/9618], and [comparison of the two|http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/9649]
* smylers [hates MySQL date_format() | http://smylers.hates-software.com/2007/11/02/f0afeb66.html] and [its function naming | http://smylers.hates-software.com/2007/03/20/bdc3ce48.html]
* [When MySQL Bites: Quirks to Watch Out For | http://use.perl.org/~Smylers/journal/34246]
* [MySQL bites my ass... again | http://bleaklow.com/2004/08/11/mysql_bites_my_ass_again.html]
* Talk slides: [MySQL Idiosyncrasies That Bite | http://www.slideshare.net/ronaldbradford/mysql-idiosyncrasies-that-bite]
* http://howfuckedismydatabase.com/
Last edited on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 5:55:14 pm by AristotlePagaltzis
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