System Analyst at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
2014-03-31T23:20:03Z
Mar 31, 2014
On a previous project we used Access, MySQL, and SQL Server Express. We migrated the Access backend database to MySQL while keeping the Access front end. We did not migrate the processes and data from SQL Server Express to MySQL, but we did have to link to the MySQL database to be able to query live data. Talend was often used to move data into and out of MySQL.
The decision was to use MySQL as the data store for enterprise-wide data. The SQL Server processes were highly specialized (used only by one person to perform a specific function) and would only be used (presumably) for another few months, so it didn't seem to make sense to convert the stored procedures and schema to MySQL.
The Access database front end was rolled out to nearly a dozen people and the data was mission-critical and constantly updated, so housing it in MySQL so it could be updated and used for feeding other processes made sense.
Pros of MySQL: It is free and seems to be robust.
Cons of MySQL: It didn't always play nicely in the Microsoft ecosystem. Migrating to a Microsoft Access front-end with a MySQL back end required a lot of work, troubleshooting, and inelegant workarounds that a SQL Server back end would not have. That may be because I had done SQL Server back ends a lot, but the MySQL back end only once. Linking the SQL Server to MySQL was less problematic once we figured out how to query the MySQL tables. (It isn't straightforward.)
Overall I would recommend MySQL over SQL Server Express (which is also free) because SQL Server Express is limited in some ways. For example, you cannot save an import job in SQL Server Express. You have to walk through the steps every time. We may have been able to get around that using Talend, or even Access. MySQL, at least in the free version, does not have the huge array of ancillary services like SQL Server (the paid edition) like SSRS, SSIS, SSAS, etc, so if those services are important I'm not sure I'd recommend MySQL unless you look at complementary products like Jaspersoft and others. Of course those services are expensive, so if cost is an issue MySQL is well worth the price.
I use the open-source version of MySQL so if I want to fix something, I do it straight in the code. I cannot name a particular flaw with the solution or something fundamental that must be changed. However, I need to note how useful it is that Oracle kept a free version of this product. It is understandable why they bought it - they are a big data company and MySQL was the best free solution out there. I hear from the community that they fix things within the product in a timely manner and continuously update and upgrade it. But keeping the free version is useful for them too, as people like me can point out bugs that they may not see and fix them.
One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when it was free, everyone was on their own, seeking tutorials and how-to videos online. But now Oracle owns it, and they are well-known for their Oracle University and extensive courses. So it makes absolutely no sense how complex the guides for MySQL still are! Someone just beginning to use this solution will have no clue how to do it - it is very hard to grasp based solely on the official documentation. I hope they improve this in the future. It will be helpful for their customer support too, as it will save them time from having to answer user questions.
MySQL supports encrypted connections between clients and the server. This is done to increase security for both the company and the organizations that use its product. The biggest benefit of encryption in general (not only with MySQL) is that if your connection between two points (a client of MySQL and the server, for example) is unencrypted, then someone with access to the network can monitor your activity. They could watch all your traffic and inspect the data that is being transferred between the two points of the connection. Just the thought of this is a nightmare for any organization. The privacy that this feature of MySQL allows is amazing.
MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, making it possible for others outside of your associates to access it. If you want to make your data unreadable, then you add encryption. This is exactly what MySQL does - it uses an algorithm to include security elements to prevent many known attacks online, such as changing the order of encrypted messages, or replaying data twice. This is one of the most useful capabilities of this product, as it not only scales your data, but it also protects it while you are working with it and even when it is only being stored.
In my previous article, I looked into the process of enabling MySQL keyring encryption, which is a complex topic, so I divided it into multiple articles. We can use keyring encryption to encrypt the physical files of the database, but what if we also want to encrypt the data stored in our tables? Fortunately, MySQL allows us to store data in an encrypted form, which we will discuss in thi...
Percona MySQL Encryption is a powerful tool that ensures data security and privacy. It is an open source solution that provides encryption for the MySQL database. Percona provides a variety of encryption options for users to choose from, and it is easy to implement and maintain.
In this article, We will try to learn step by step about MySQL keyring encryption.
OS Version: "Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS"...
On a previous project we used Access, MySQL, and SQL Server Express. We migrated the Access backend database to MySQL while keeping the Access front end. We did not migrate the processes and data from SQL Server Express to MySQL, but we did have to link to the MySQL database to be able to query live data. Talend was often used to move data into and out of MySQL.
The decision was to use MySQL as the data store for enterprise-wide data. The SQL Server processes were highly specialized (used only by one person to perform a specific function) and would only be used (presumably) for another few months, so it didn't seem to make sense to convert the stored procedures and schema to MySQL.
The Access database front end was rolled out to nearly a dozen people and the data was mission-critical and constantly updated, so housing it in MySQL so it could be updated and used for feeding other processes made sense.
Pros of MySQL: It is free and seems to be robust.
Cons of MySQL: It didn't always play nicely in the Microsoft ecosystem. Migrating to a Microsoft Access front-end with a MySQL back end required a lot of work, troubleshooting, and inelegant workarounds that a SQL Server back end would not have. That may be because I had done SQL Server back ends a lot, but the MySQL back end only once. Linking the SQL Server to MySQL was less problematic once we figured out how to query the MySQL tables. (It isn't straightforward.)
Overall I would recommend MySQL over SQL Server Express (which is also free) because SQL Server Express is limited in some ways. For example, you cannot save an import job in SQL Server Express. You have to walk through the steps every time. We may have been able to get around that using Talend, or even Access. MySQL, at least in the free version, does not have the huge array of ancillary services like SQL Server (the paid edition) like SSRS, SSIS, SSAS, etc, so if those services are important I'm not sure I'd recommend MySQL unless you look at complementary products like Jaspersoft and others. Of course those services are expensive, so if cost is an issue MySQL is well worth the price.