MySQL

Introduction to MySQL

MySQL is a freely available open source Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) which uses Structured Query Language (SQL). User can store the information in the form of tables in a MySQL databases. One database can have as many tables as the user wants to store, and each table can have as many records as the user wants it to be. It provides users with a rich set of features that support a secure environment for storing, maintaining, and accessing data. It is fast, reliable, scalable alternative to many of the commercial RDBMSs available today.

MySQL Database System

The major role of a DBMS is information management. A database server is the key to solve the problems of information management. MySQL database system refers to the combination of a MySQL server instance and a MySQL database. It operates using client/server architecture in which the server runs on the machine containing the databases and clients connect to the server over a network. The server operating system is usually a LINUX or Windows OS. Typically it is supported on the Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 etc.

Features Of MySQL

1. Speed : It runs very fast and supports clustered servers for demanding applications
2. Ease of use : It is high performance and has a relatively simple database system.
3. Cost : It is freely available to all its users. it is open source database.
4. Query language support : It understands standard based Structured Query Language.
5. Portability : It provides portability as it has been tested with a broad range of different compilers and can work on many different platforms.
6. Data types : It provides many data types to its users and also supports fixed length and variable length records.
7. Security : It offers privilege and password system which is secure and flexible, and also allows host-based verification.
8. Scalability and limits : It can handle large databases for example, some of the databases contain 50 million records , some have up to 60000 tables and 5,000,000,000 rows.
9. Connectivity : Several protocols can be used by the clients to connect to the MySQL server.
10. Localization : The server can provide error messages to clients in many languages.
11. Clients and tools : It provides command line programs such as mysqldump and mysqladmin, and graphical programs such as MySQL administrator and MySQL query browser.