PeerSpot user
Senior Application Programmer/Analyst, Team Lead at a university with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Its strength is in the fast connection, query and insert performance. The weakest link is replication.

What is our primary use case?

Used as a data store for RESTful web services and other web applications. Was deployed to store RSS feeds, and for 100 joomla instances. 

How has it helped my organization?

MySQL is widely supported. We were able to integrate it with several different projects using various different programming languages with no issues.

Worked with Java, Perl, PHP, C# and C code. 

What is most valuable?

MySQL’s strength is in its fast connection, query and insert performance. I’ve benchmarked MySQL against several NoSQL and SQL databases and found it to be faster for getting lots of data inserted quickly.

What needs improvement?

The weakest link is replication. MySQL’s replication is touchy and doesn’t support master-to-master setups.

MySQL’s replication was implemented by playing back SQL statements getting executed on the master database node. That means if a slave node gets behind, it has to catch up by running every SQL query that has executed on the master. When the slave gets too far out of date, it is unable to catch up because the replication log is lost. 

Master to master replication is used to allow writes to either node in the cluster (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE).  Since MySQL does not support this, you can only safely send SELECT queries to slave nodes.  If you run an insert, update or delete against the slave node, then it is out of sync with the master and may break if a later replication event comes from the master on the same table.


Buyer's Guide
MySQL
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about MySQL. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,458 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I’ve had an issue where an InnoDB database grew too big and got corrupted. I was unable to recover it because there was not enough space on the server either. Be sure to have enough space.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We did encounter some scalability issues as it has limited clustering support, it requires scaling up rather than out to some degree. Of course, you can have read replicas. It also has a fall-off on performance with very high workloads, but it takes awhile to get there.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

MySQL has replaced Microsoft SQL Server in several cases. MySQL is easier to manage and much more cost-effective.

How was the initial setup?

The security model is different than the other databases.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are tuning and monitoring benefits for people who purchase MySQL rather than using the free version.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Looked at Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL

What other advice do I have?

The porting code to or from MySQL is not that complicated, but the date type/format and functions are the biggest hurdles. Handling booleans data type is less efficient than the BIT type in the SQL Server.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ismail Yushaw - PeerSpot reviewer
Supervisor at GGoC1
Real User
Top 5
A tool that offers an easy setup phase along with exceptional stability
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very stable solution. I deployed the product six years ago, and it still works fine."
  • "The performance, stability, and security are areas with shortcomings in MySQL, where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I started to use MySQL at some point when I had some issues that I couldn't get around. I normally use the tool in professional opportunities and when I require support from MySQL.

Cacti is a tool for monitoring devices on a network in graphical terms, for which it uses MySQL or MariaDB. I mostly deploy Cacti with MySQL or MariaDB. Somewhere down the line, I started to have some issues with the permissions in MySQL, including its areas like superuser privileges and similar stuff, which took me a while to figure out. I think the tool is fine for me now.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it helps me to get my work done. I am more interested in getting my work done than any feature it comes with since, as long as it gets my work done, it can actually help me achieve my objectives.

What needs improvement?

Nowadays, I use phpMyAdmin or MySQL WorkBench to manage MySQL. I would have been in a position to comment on what requires improvement if I had spoken about the tool three years ago. There are no improvements needed in the UI of the solution since many tools in the market help the user get the job done. MySQL WorkBench belongs to Oracle.

The performance, stability, and security are areas with shortcomings in MySQL, where improvements are required.

It would be a great improvement if the product could be made affordable enough for me to be able to access support from MYSQL, especially when I deal with mission-critical applications.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using MySQL since 2014.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution. I deployed the product six years ago, and it still works fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I won't be able to comment on the product's scalability since I haven't deployed it in a cluster environment.

Our company has over a thousand devices, including switches and a couple of other devices, which report to MySQL for management purposes. In general, MySQL is a very robust tool.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Somewhere down the line, I got introduced to MariaDB as well. Nowadays, I use MariaDB rather than MySQL most of the time.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase is easy since I use package management software. I mostly take care of the deployment phase with the help of Docker and other tools. If you decide to use the default deployment settings provided by MySQL, then it is a straightforward process to deploy it.

A lot of things have changed since I have deployed the solution. The solution is like a new product nowadays since you just need an application to deploy it presently. The other area where you need to take care of the solution is knowing how to secure it very well so that it becomes less vulnerable and prevents people from taking advantage of the solution.

Mostly, I go to the MySQL website to download the binaries, and I just deploy them on a Windows machine or another system, which is just a straightforward process. The product's installation phase is not much of a problem.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

Earlier in my company, there were three people who used to take care of the deployment of the solution, but presently, I don't know who handles the deployment part.

What was our ROI?

In the past, the product was free for users, which ensured that users could experience a high return on investment from the use of the solution. I don't know the licensing models attached to the solution currently, but the return on investment is very high if you use it for a very limited amount of time.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

MySQL was one of the tools I was introduced to from the very beginning when I was in school. Though I knew about Microsoft SQL Server, the lectures in my school did not introduce me to it since more focus was placed on MySQL. I find MySQL easier to use compared to Microsoft SQL Server.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution to those who plan to use it since it is a very good product that comes to my mind since it is always available. I don't know about the current licensing model of the product because it was an open-source tool earlier. I don't remember myself attempting to check what kind of license MySQL uses presently. In the past, Microsoft SQL Server used to cost a lot of money, which my company couldn't afford at that time.

I rate the overall system an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
MySQL
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about MySQL. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,458 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Director at Metrofibre Networx
Real User
Top 20
An easy-to-install solution that is used for customer management authentication
Pros and Cons
  • "I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten since it has been running flawlessly."
  • "The licensing cost of the solution is expensive, which MySQL needs to consider improving."

What is our primary use case?

We use MySQL for customer management authentication in our company.

What is most valuable?

The use of MySQL is really dictated by the software we use. So we have put software that dictates the use of MySQL and MongoDB. We think we've found the goal of the company related to strengthening its business systems.

What needs improvement?

Since we started the development, like, three years ago, it's just been improving, so there are no areas that need to improve. It is easy to use.

The licensing cost of the solution is expensive, which MySQL needs to consider improving.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using MySQL for three years. It's based on the call systems or based on the console.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten since it has been running flawlessly.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It works well. So, I rate its scalability a ten out of ten. Our company is managing hundreds to thousands of clients, but we use MySQL for different projects. So, around 50 users work on it.

In terms of increasing the solution's usage, I think we've done enough, like, stabilizing MySQL.

How are customer service and support?

Our company has contacted the technical support of MySQL. It was very easy to get connected to them. However, it cost us a fortune. For SMBs in South Africa, a thousand or ten thousand dollars an hour is a lot of money. It was expensive, but it was worth it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have previously used a solution for location and mapping-related stuff. Our choice to move to MySQL was dictated by software. So, we use different programs for applications.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment process takes a few seconds.

What about the implementation team?

We had to seek the help of some consultants to implement the product since there was some difficult stuff. But that was long ago. Nowadays, we avoid seeking help from consultants since it has become pretty simple. So, better experienced and well-trained people would do it for us. It's not a problem.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe we have a few cluster solutions. I think that MySQL is a premium product. But I don't manage that part.

What other advice do I have?

The solution's documentation and support are awesome. Also, its speed has increased in the last few years. So, we have never had any issues with it. If there were any errors, then they were human errors.

Today with many other options, we stick with MySQL and recommend it to others. There are so many other things that are more suitable for different purposes, and I will have to do research to know more about them. MySQL has been around for a decade, so something cannot go wrong. Its big support communities make it easy to resolve problems since there is always somebody who can help.

I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Milton Palacin - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at SBS
Real User
Top 10
Good tech support; great activity performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature I found most valuable is activity performance."
  • "This solution needs to be improved when it comes to working with desktop applications on the developer side."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for this solution is a home database of payments.

What is most valuable?

The feature I found most valuable is activity performance.

What needs improvement?

This solution needs to be improved when it comes to working with desktop applications on the developer side.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have about 15 years of experience with MySQL.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

My impression of the stability of this solution is that it is quite good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

My impression of the scalability of this solution is that it is standard. However, scalability depends on enterprise size and legacy product compatibility.

How are customer service and support?

My impression is that their technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

My impression is that the initial setup is pretty standard. Some parts of it can be difficult. We had a tough time with the administration and database.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate this solution an eight, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Clinical Data Management Principal at Vertex-in-Healthcare
Real User
Top 20
A mature solution with stable performance for database management
Pros and Cons
  • "We are completely comfortable with the database’s performance and it is a mature product. My organization was looking for an open-source database for our smaller customers like the community edition. For bigger customers, we can scale into commercial and supported editions."
  • "I would like to improve the solution’s pricing for licenses."

What is our primary use case?

Our organization uses MySQL as an ERP database for transactional and financial systems.

What is most valuable?

We are completely comfortable with the database’s performance and it is a mature product. My organization was looking for an open-source database for our smaller customers like the community edition. For bigger customers, we can scale into commercial and supported editions.

What needs improvement?

I would like to improve the solution’s pricing for licenses.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is a very stable product. We have had no reason to be concerned about its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and it is one of the reasons why we chose the tool. Oracle has the information documented. We have a solution that we sell to the end users. There are about 50-200 users of that solution who may be using it simultaneously. We also have dozens of clients like that.

How are customer service and support?

Our solution’s end-user customers contact us for technical support. We haven’t felt the need to contact Oracle’s customer support.

How was the initial setup?

The technical preparation for our company to migrate from the previous database was about three months. We did our homework and shortlisted three potential solutions. We invested a month’s time to ensure that our solution could operationally run on MySQL. We also built migration capabilities to facilitate migration and rolled out upgrades to our customers. We never had any engineering issues during the implementation process.

What about the implementation team?

We did the deployment in-house. Our company had the in-house skills to do it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would rate the solution’s pricing a six out of ten. The solution is not cheap but it’s a fair value. The pricing depends on the use cases of our customers. Some of our customers use the community edition which is license free and a good fit for their use cases. However, we encourage our bigger customers to sign up because of the scalability issues. The paid versions get direct technical support from Oracle.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. Our company is a service provider that has designed and built a solution. We sell it to other third parties. We are comfortable with MySQL. The solution being owned by Oracle and its brand positioning influenced a big part of our decision. The solution is very consistent with its peer group and we accept the solution’s range of functionalities.

We are happy with our choice. We evaluated over ten solutions before choosing MySQL. I am sure that we would be making the same decision if we were to do it all over again.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
JohnMitchell - PeerSpot reviewer
jmitchell@natbankmw.com at NBM
Real User
Top 10
Easy to use with a straightforward setup but requires better replication
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very simple. It's easy to use. That's the most important feature."
  • "The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the many small applications we use. However, we do not use it with our enterprise-level applications.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very simple. It's easy to use. That's the most important feature. 

We do have it supported by various programs we run with it.

What needs improvement?

The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using MySQL in various products about 10 years ago when it was still an independent community product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has proven to be quite stable. We haven't experienced any bugs or glitches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

According to our experience, it's not really an enterprise tool that you can easily expand and scale the way you can with, for example, Oracle. It's good for small to medium-sized applications. It is not ideal for very big applications.

We have a data center that uses the application and it isn't very heavy on traffic. It basically runs on its own. We only use it occasionally. It's like a co-operation management system.

We do plan to increase usage, but we plan on looking at different databases. We're in the process of researching how scaling up would work. Chances are, we'll need to move to a different platform.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never been in touch with technical support. For us, so far, things have been working perfectly so there hasn't been a need to.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This is the first solution we've used. We don't use any other product. It's very popular with the in-house program, as we advised them to stick with this application.

How was the initial setup?

We've used the solution for ten years and the setup hasn't changed much over time. It is, more or less, simple when you compare it to other databases. 

Deployment takes less than an hour.

It only takes one person to maintain the solution. The individual doesn't have to be an engineer. They just need to be a support person.

What about the implementation team?

We don't need a consultant for the implementation. This is used by someone in our company that uses databases and has an average knowledge of the product. We don't even need a vendor. We can handle setup ourselves at this point. It's not like Oracle or other products that can be quite complicated.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We use the community edition of the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't evaluate anything before choosing this solution. However, there are a few new products coming up that are growing in popularity and we will need to research them. Products like the Cockroach DB, Nuo DB, etc. are on our radar to be evaluated in the future.

What other advice do I have?

The most important thing other potential users need to do is to look at the use cases for this application and to evaluate how it's able to handle heavy loads, etc. Users should evaluate how it handles high-traffic. They'll need to ask themselves: is the solution usable for my applications? 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director Of Sales Marketing at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Quick to deploy, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The deployment process is pretty fast."
  • "When I run into issues, I really have to research how to fix them."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for mobile applications and IoT-based services. It's a good choice for development. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is very stable.

The scalability has been great.

The deployment process is pretty fast.

What needs improvement?

It would be ideal if the solution had more references available in terms of helping me find answers to issues or problems. When I run into issues, I really have to research how to fix them. 

The installation process could be better.

I would like the product to have even better stability and scalability.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's easy.

We have 500 users on the solution at this time. We are likely to increase usage in the future. 

How are customer service and support?

We don't really have access to technical support. Our engineers have to spend time looking for answers on Google. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we only used Oracle databases, which were expensive. We've moved away to other DBs and have begun to use MySQL.

How was the initial setup?

The installation process didn't take very long. It took about three or four hours.

We have five people, who are engineers, that can handle setup and maintenance tasks. 

What about the implementation team?

I handled the implementation myself. I did not need the assistance of any integrators or consultants. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You do need a license in order to use MySQL.

What other advice do I have?

The solution can be deployed both on the cloud and on-premises. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Specialist Geosciences Data Consultant at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Simple to use, good for data manipulation and creating views
Pros and Cons
  • "It is pretty simple to use and I don't have anything really bad to say about it."
  • "I would like to have the ability to cancel a query in SQL Developer."

What is our primary use case?

My daily tasks are related to data mining and TBICO Spotfire is one of the products that I use. We are a small group of geologists operating in a niche area who are analyzing geochemical data. Our backend database is MySQL and we use products such as Power BI, Tableau, and Spotfire to display data for the geochemists.

I perform data-related tasks such as data manipulation and creating views, then updating the database afterward, all using SQL queries. As part of this, I'm making entries as needed or corrections to data that has already been processed.

How has it helped my organization?

Essentially, I'm doing data mining with SQL queries, although I wouldn't call what I am doing Data Mining exactly, because I already know the data model. I know the geochemistry data in my head, so I already know what I'm looking for when I write an SQL query. We're not doing machine learning or AI at this point, although it may come in the future.

Every now and then, we create dashboards for the geochemists, which cover their needs from the data.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable component for me is SQL Developer. It is pretty simple to use and I don't have anything really bad to say about it. It supports multiple window displays and all of the connections are available. A lot of people use Toad for this type of work, but I have not myself.

The functionality that I use most often is querying the data model.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see an autocorrect option, where if you're typing a query and you enter a comma instead of space, or something similar, the ability for it to be able to understand based on your previous scripts would be an advantage. For example, if you were to put a comma between your AND statements then it's not going to work. Maybe a smarter application where, as you're writing queries, similar to the way that grammar and spelling are checked when you type a text message on an iPhone, it could be autocorrected.

I would like to have the ability to cancel a query in SQL Developer. Specifically, I would like to be able to cancel the query should I accidentally write one that's going to loop, or have a JOIN wrong, where you get millions of records joining with millions of records over and over again. The availability to hit cancel so that it doesn't keep running would be helpful because, when such a thing happens, then you have to shut down the whole application and you lose any queries that you might've typed before.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with MySQL for approximately nine years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This application is pretty easy to scale.

Within my department, which is technical data management, approximately 75% of the people use MySQL.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never had to deal with technical support from Oracle directly. We just raise tickets that go up and show operations, and in turn, they are the ones that deal with Oracle.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used several versions of Oracle MySQL including 10, 11, and 12, and I don't really see any difference between them.

How was the initial setup?

MySQL comes pre-installed with our new PCs, so I have never been involved with the initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

On the operations side, based on what I have seen in terms of people putting in tickets for issues, it seems that we have three people who support and maintain MySQL at different levels. I feel that having this number of resources assigned to maintaining a database is wasteful.

I think that a single person can be in charge of maintaining multiple databases.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As a data analyst, I am not in operations and don't have a say in which products we use.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing MySQL is to ask around because there are many different ways that you can create a database now. Relational databases are no longer the best way to organize your data. It really depends on what it is that you're doing. For example, you may not need a relational database, but instead just a file structure. So, look at all of your options and speak with the experts to see what kind of database is needed before assuming that you need an RDBMS.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free MySQL Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free MySQL Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.