Five Ways Oracle has Improved MySQL Database Since Acquiring it From Sun

Oracle’s acquisition of Sun systems – and MySQL – in 2010, left many web developers wary of the MySQL path. At the time Sun had major concerns with their hardware sector, but the MySQL application was becoming ever more popular.
Currently, MySQL is a significant tool in the management of website database information, and is usually integrated into the cPanel hosting platform at WestHost. Until recently, Oracle has simply continued to offer MySQL and allowed existing developers to continue updating it’s useful features, but made no significant changes to the open source database management application. However as of September 2012, Oracle finally announced a new Development Milestone Release (DMR) of the MySQL Cluster 7.3, with more than a few new features. The following are five important changes Oracle has made to the MySQL database, which every web developer should know:

1. Foreign Key Support

This feature allows users to use the benefits of MySQL Cluster in a broader range of programs, applications and websites. Developers can offer better custom web projects by creating simplified data models and by using better application logic. Users will notice the real-time performance enhancements in read/write scalability offered by the MySQL Cluster.

2. Node.jsNoSQLAPI

This new node offers a Node.js with the asynchronous JavaScript interface that can be accessed and used to query or receive results from the MySQL Cluster, without these needing to transform to SQL. The purpose is to offer low latency, thereby getting quicker response times, when dealing with simple queries. This feature offers better development cycles and allows developers to use JavaScript code to access the real time database faster. Ultimately, the goal is to allow developers to get their custom applications, based on MySQL databases, to market more efficiently, faster and offer a better user/application interface. This new JavaScript with Node.js allows for the growth of NoSQLAPIs for the MySQL cluster, and enables the NoSQL and SQL access to the same database set.

3. The MySQL Cluster Auto-Installer

This new Oracle feature offers standard configurations to help developers build high performance clustered environments. It is compatible with MySQL Cluster 7.2 and 7.3. The intelligent auto installer configures the MySQL Cluster based on the needs of the application and the server hardware processor and memory resources.

4. Workload Optimizer

Developers can specify the throughput, write-load and latency of their applications upon launching the MySQL installer.

5. Auto-Discovery

The MySQL installer will automatically find the resources available from both the local and remote server to initiate the Cluster. Factors such as CPU architecture, processor cores and memory are all automatically taken into account, allowing the system to compensate for issues, thereby giving users faster and more efficient access to custom MySQL database applications.

Although Oracle has implemented many useful features into the MySQL program, developers are still wary of these changes, as many required bug fixes. While Oracle offers assurances as to the effectiveness of these fixes, there have not been any test cases related to them. MySQL updates with non-functioning fixes can cause further issues with a developers custom applications, making the developer community wary of using MySQL. Many feel this is Oracles way of discouraging developers from using the open source MySQL.