What is our primary use case?
MYSQL is our main database. We use it for every project.
I use it for storage procedures, SQL administration, and database administration.
We also use it for the development of reports, and projects that are deployed for our customers. It is also used to develop applications.
The majority of companies use it for their development projects.
How has it helped my organization?
It's free. I'm in a big organization, with more than 100,000 employees. If you have to buy a database management system for every project, it would be very expensive.
Considering the cost-free option, you can use it for POCs,(proof of concept projects), and you can deploy it for customers to reduce project costs. The principal reason is that it is cheap.
What is most valuable?
Mysql is free : it's an open source project, so you can use it with no cost.
Mysql is well documented, and has a big community.
MySQL adheres to the current SQL standard, although with significant restrictions and a large number of extensions. Through the configuration setting sql-mode you can make the MySQL server behave for the most part compatibly with others like IBM DB/2 and Oracle.
There are a number of convenient user interfaces for administering a MySQL server.
MySQL has supported the storing and processing of two-dimensional geographical data. Thus MySQL is well suited for geographic information systems applications.
MySQL supports the ODBC interface.
For client programming you can use, among others, the languages C#, C, C++, Java, Perl, PHP and Python.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a feature added to be able to handle high availability, which would allow us to scale the database or the system on many platforms.
Scalability has to be improved, as you have only one instance of the application, or two, or more instances at max that are connected on one instance of MySQL.
In the next release, I would like to see the scalability features improved to allow you to configure it and reduce the complexity with the configuration, making it easier for the end-user to scale. Make it as simple as it can be.
Add the possibility to define custom data types
Add OLAP and backup capabilities
Buyer's Guide
MySQL
April 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using MySQL for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, and in fact, it's more stable than PostgreSQL. Also, recovery is faster.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is difficult. You can scale it horizontally, but once you have many instances, it is difficult.
You can improve the server, resources that are available, and the processor is good but if you want to scale it on many instances than it is a bit complex.
We use it for customers. We have 10 instances of MySQL independently, on the project we are currently working with.
How are customer service and support?
It's an open-source solution. There is documentation available on the internet, that provides enough to resolve issues quickly.
How was the initial setup?
If you are a technician with practice, there is no issue, it's easy to handle. The documentation is available on the internet. You have everything you need quickly if you are autonomous.
It's easy, you just download it, install it and click next until it's complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's an open-source database management system that can be used free of charge.
What other advice do I have?
I am not using the user interface because I'm a developer. Generally, I just try to find how to use the command-line interface to access what I want for the system.
Oracle is still the best, but it's too expensive.
Before purchasing this solution, know the needs of your environment and be sure that you don't have to scale it. If you want to scale it you will require more knowledge on the product and you will need more support for it.
If you have a little project with a thousand users connected to the instances, it will be able to be scaled. But if you are looking to be able to handle large volumes this is not a good solution for your needs.
If am comparing MySQL with other free solutions then I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.