Author: Robert Agar
MySQL is one of the most popular relational database management systems (RDBMS) in the world. Only Oracle has a larger installed base. Professional database administrators should have at least a good working knowledge of MySQL as they are likely to be called upon to exercise these skills in the multi-platform environments that are prevalent in the IT industry. The database platform is used by many well-known websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Why is MySQL so Popular?
MySQL is widely used as the backend of website applications for a variety of reasons. It is an open-source database platform developed by industry leader Oracle. Here are some of the factors that are driving its popularity for web-based applications.
- MySQL was designed for the web – The developers behind MySQL specifically optimized the platform for web applications. They built MySQL with an understanding of the new requirements of the Internet and maintained this emphasis as the product evolved. New features are regularly released to the MySQL community for early testing and feedback. This practice allows the developers to fine-tune the software to address the requirements of its user base.
- Performance and scalability – MySQL has the ability to provide fast performance while handling a rapidly expanding volume of data and concurrent connections. Organizations can be confident that applications implemented with MySQL will be able to grow from a modest initial offering to a wildly popular website with the features built into the platform. These features include making efficient use of memory resources and quickly establishing new incoming connections.
- Reliability and security – The security and reliability afforded by MySQL make it the perfect solution for websites. Downtime can be expensive both in direct financial losses and reduced customer satisfaction. MySQL offers replications and clustering options that allow organizations to construct a high-availability database solution. Security is bolstered by the ability to block unauthorized users from accessing the system. Powerful data encryption and decryption functions protect sensitive data.
- Ease of use – Allowing database teams to get up to speed quickly with MySQL has been part of the development strategy since the platform was first introduced. This makes MySQL a great choice for organizations concerned with rapidly delivering new applications. Another factor that makes MySQL easy to use is its cross-platform operating system and programming language support.
- Reduced total cost of ownership – The multiple technical benefits of MySQL are magnified by the tremendous financial savings that can be enjoyed by using the platform. It can be downloaded and installed for free and the support subscription price comes in far below the cost of other comparable database solutions.
Enhanced Productivity with the Right Tool
The advantages of using MySQL make it a logical choice for use as a component of many computing environments. DBAs will often be responsible for multiple instances that may be spread out over on-premises servers and cloud providers.
SQL Diagnostic Manager for MySQL is a feature-rich monitoring and management application that will help your database team increase their productivity.
The tool supports on-premises MySQL databases as well as cloud instances including Amazon RDS for MySQL/MariaDB/Aurora, Microsoft Azure Database for MySQL, Google Cloud SQL for MySQL, and Oracle MySQL Cloud Service.
Here are some of the specific features that make this an indispensable tool for MySQL DBAs.
- Real-time monitoring is provided to find slow, long-running, and locked queries that drag down database performance. Agentless monitoring means no need to install anything on every server you monitor.
- DBAs can use over 600 built-in and customizable advisors and monitors to generate alerts so issues can be handled proactively before they impact users. Alerts can identify security, disk, and lock problems and can be sent via email so the right people get notified.
- Customized dashboards give your database team visibility into the complete MySQL environment from a centralized location. Select the metrics that interest your staff and display cumulative and average data values for selected entities.
This is just a sample of the features found in SQL Diagnostic Manager for MySQL that will make a database team more productive while ensuring that the database environment is performing well. It’s an application that will make your team wonder how they got along without it.
