PeerSpot user
Database Administrator at a recruiting/HR firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It is easy to understand the inner picture of the database from the EER model.

What is most valuable?

The EER diagram is the most important feature for me as the EER diagram can show the inner picture of the database, such as the relationship between the tables very easily. We can also add, modify or delete EER diagrams very easily.

How has it helped my organization?

The user friendly interface which is easy to interact with such as creating backups, tables, views, and the EER model.

What needs improvement?

It has lot of options to interact with. Sometimes it is hard to find the appropriate options quickly. They need to add descriptions somewhere as to where a user can go to find the proper menu easily when required. Another problem is that since all the databases can be seen and operated together, it’s possible to make mistakes such as dropping the wrong database.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this product for two years.

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.
770,428 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

There was no issue with deployment

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no issues with stability

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There was no issue with scalability

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

The level of customer service is good. I understand sometimes they need to transfer the service to a knowledgeable person, so we need to have patience and explain the same problem several times.

Technical Support:

The level of technical services is good. I understand the product is technical, so sometimes the reported problem requires more investigation.

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

I used phpMyAdmin. It is also a graphical interface but you have to buy the product while MySQL Workbench is free.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. I didn’t face any problem at all.

What about the implementation team?

I did the installation.

What other advice do I have?

This product is good as it is a graphical interface. It's easy to do all MySQL database administration very easily. You just need to play around to be more familiar with it. The MySQL Workbench interface is well prepared to design a database including EER diagram, create table, and view very easily. The EER diagram allows the user to completely understand the database design, which is very important and useful for the people who are involved with the database. It’s easy to understand the inner picture of the database from the EER model.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Haim Tzadok - PeerSpot reviewer
Haim TzadokCo-Founder/CEO at Grigale LTD
Reseller

Workbench is the original GUI for managing MySQL databases it allows to:
* Manage DB - it allows to administer a DB. (by creating a connection to a database).
* Model DB - It allows you to model your database using EER diagrams to represent tables and link between tables. EER diagrams can be transformed to a schema by creating SQL script from the EER diagram. EER diagram can be also produced from an existing DB, by connecting to a database and performing reverse engineering.
* Migrate DB - It also allows you to migrate from another DB to MySQL

it_user2652 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
Vendor
Popular
Highly recommended open source database for small/medium sized organizations

Pros:- 

1) MySQL is an open source database under the GNU General Public License, that means developers can use it at no cost as long as the associated projects are also open source. 

2) MySQL is ideally suited for small/medium sized organizations for faster performance. 

3) MySQL can be used in client/Server architecture as well as it can also be embedded in standalone applications. 

4) MySQL is fast, east to use, highly extensible, lightweight, scalable, and reliable database. 

5) MySQL supports clustering in the network for redundancy. 

6) MySQL provides flexibility to modify environment variables/kernel settings to limit the amount of memory usage for increasing performance. 

7) MySQL is strongly recommended for web applications, middleware and LAMP architecture systems. 

8) MySQL can be integrated with ldap to provide centralized authentication. It can also be integrated with LAMP/WAMP, web applications and number of programming languages. It is widely used for phpadmin and wordpress. 

9) MySQL is platform independent and can be run in mixed OS platform like windows, linux, ubuntu etc. It gives compatibility even over different OS during backup and restore. Data can be backed up from one OS and can be restored on other OS.

Cons:- 

1) MySQL can be integrated with ldap, however, it is very complex, tedious and time consuming. 

2) MySQL support is available through communities like other open source projects which means that it is sometimes scarce and hard to find. 

3) MySQL doesn't have some of RDBMS features like foreign keys, transaction, rollback and subselect. 

4) MySQL also doesn't have tablespaces, role management, snapshots, synonyms and packages. 

5) MySQL uses both InnoDB and MyISAM, however, it gives slower performance when using InnoDB as compared to MyISAM for using simple queries due to complexity of InnoDB. 

6) MySQL does not provide good development and debugging tools, so it’s cumbersome to write large SQL statements.

Alternate Vendors:- Oracle, DB2, Sybase, Postgres, Informatica!!


Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user2652 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user2652Project Manager at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
PopularVendor

I have researched more on the pros and cons I listed and modified them accordingly.

See all 2 comments
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.
770,428 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Tapas Karmakar - PeerSpot reviewer
Oracle Technology Artchitect and Specialist at Wizertech Informatics Pvt. Ltd.
Real User
Valuable IO segregation and CGE with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The IO segregation in CGE is valuable."
  • "The auto-tuning and NDB cluster has some limitations regarding foreign keys."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for NDB and CG clusters.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has made it easier for us to support our clients in India for a government technology project relating to CG clusters.

What is most valuable?

The IO segregation in CGE is valuable.

What needs improvement?

The auto-tuning and NDB cluster has some limitations regarding foreign keys. For example, when creating a partition with shared architecture data, the foreign keys do not work properly. Additionally, whenever we are working with this solution, as our projects are carried out globally, the size of the database is getting used fast. In case of replication and data access with two multiple sites or nodes to become a cluster, you need two separate data storage for accessing the same data from the two nodes. Hence, this consumes a lot of storage space.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for five years and we are currently using version 8.0.31.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, but I can configure this product with two nodes in case of a rack, but it is impossible in any of the databases. Therefore, I rate it a seven out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

We do not have experience with customer service and support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and it took less than twenty minutes. I rate it a nine out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

One person is required for deployment.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. The solution is good but auto-tuning and the NDB cluster can be improved.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP
PeerSpot user
Vice President & Head of IT Governance at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good performance, but requires better scalability and more reliable stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is great for small applications in particular."
  • "As an open-source product, there isn't really any technical support available if you get into trouble or have issues."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the product for small applications.

What is most valuable?

The solution is great for small applications in particular.

The performance is good.

The solution originally was designed as an open-source product. It has a community edition that anyone can use for free.

The initial setup is simple and straightforward. 

What needs improvement?

I have doubts about its overall stability. It's something that they should look at.

As an open-source product, there isn't really any technical support available if you get into trouble or have issues.

There isn't much scalability potential in the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a very long time. It's been years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability could be better. It's not as stable as I would prefer it to be. 

It was originally designed as freeware, as an open-source project, and the community wrote the solution. However, they've made it worse over time.

That said, the performance is pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is not that scalable. It's not something you should pick if you need something to expand significantly.

While I can't speak to how many people use the solution in our company, I can say that it is used by several departments and divisions.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution is open-source and managed by a community. Therefore, there is no technical support available to users. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy and quite straightforward. It's not overly difficult or complex. 

That said, I was not a part of the original setup and therefore cannot speak to how long the deployment took my team.

What about the implementation team?

We didn't need any assistance from integrators or consultants. The setup was handled in-house.

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

The solution is open-source and free to use. We have the community edition. We don't have to pay to use it right now.

What other advice do I have?

Right now, Oracle has taken over the business of MySQL. Now, it's standard that you have to pay money for the license. That's why we are shifting all our databases, the small, small databases, from MySQL to Oracle. We do have extra data, so we do require a license.

Currently, we are using the previous version of the solution. I can't speak to the exact version number, however.

I'd rate the solution at a five out of ten.

I wouldn't recommend it to other organizations at this time.

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
Founder at Art World Web Solutions
Real User
Easy to integrate and reasonably priced but the memory consumption needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The connectivity with PHP is quite good."
  • "On the database side, it should be really lightweight, and the data structure should be like MongoDB."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for the database.

What is most valuable?

The connectivity with PHP is quite good.

It is easy to integrate, and the fees are less than Oracle and other services.

What needs improvement?

MySQL is good but it should be able to handle the large transaction levels that Oracle can. It should be able to manage large amounts of data. We have experienced some issues when we are handling a large amount of data in MySQL.

The memory consumption it's using is very high at times, and the default parameter settings are not quite good automatically. We need to tweak the configuration as per the requirements. This is an area that can be improved by giving some guidelines and direction. 

On the database side, it should be really lightweight, and the data structure should be like MongoDB.

It should put less load on to the memory and it should be able to handle maximum data.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with MySQL for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable but there is an issue with memory consumption at times.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not contacted technical support. I am using MySQL with Zabbix and when I have an issue, I contact Zabbix who resolves the issues on their end.

How was the initial setup?

I am a developer and I handle the other side of things. I rely on the DB team to handle the maintenance and deployment. My knowledge is very basic.

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

It's cheaper than other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

For one level of data, you can use MySQL. However, for large amounts of data, you will have to find other databases.

Overall, it's a good solution.

I would rate MySQL a six 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
PeerSpot user
Global Data Architecture and Data Science Director at FH
Real User
ExpertModerator
Open-source, good documentation, and the multiplatform support includes Linux, Windows and Mac
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a good tool, a good database platform."
  • "It could be more secure."

What is our primary use case?

I used MySQL for academic purposes. I use it for learning purposes.

You can start anything with MySQL.

You can build your own app, and store your data.

It's a free solution for development purposes.

What is most valuable?

It's a good tool, a good database platform. Everything you can do, you can do for free.

I like that it's open-source and that it's free. 

What needs improvement?

Typically security will be on a security layer. I haven't really looked into the security of it, but it should be good.

It could be more secure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using MySQL for 16 or 17 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have trained hundreds of users.

I will continue to use this solution for learning purposes.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

You can download it and start using it.

It's very easy to install. It's a one-click Windows installation.

You can install and configure everything in a half-hour to one hour.

There is a lot of documentation available.

The maintenance can be done by anyone who has installed and used it.

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

I have never used the enterprise level of MySQL. 

I use the open-source free community version.

I am sure that the Enterprise version of MySQL is cheaper than Microsoft SQL Server, or IBM and Oracle.

It's cheaper than other tools. 

What other advice do I have?

For anyone who wants to learn SQL, MySQL is free on Linux, Windows, or Mac Operating Systems.

MySQL can be deployed anywhere on the cloud or on a PC.

I would rate MySQL an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Infrastructure & Data Platform Sr. Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Lightweight with good performance, but deployment with clustering needs to be simplified
Pros and Cons
  • "This is a lightweight product that is not demanding on the resources, which is what I think gives it the edge."
  • "The product is a little bit complex and it is difficult to find sufficient documentation."

What is our primary use case?

I am a senior manager of the infrastructure team and MySQL is one of the products that I work with. We use it in an e-commerce portal. The database is light and everything works smoothly.

What is most valuable?

The performance is great.

This is a lightweight product that is not demanding on the resources, which is what I think gives it the edge.

What needs improvement?

We faced some details in clustering, although this may have been because we did not have enough knowledge about MySQL clustering. In general, an easier implementation for clustering would be an improvement.

The product is a little bit complex and it is difficult to find sufficient documentation.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using MySQL for approximately six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not had any problems with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

MySQL is easy to scale.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have dealt with Oracle support regarding other products such as Oracle Database and Oracle WebLogic. I believe that it will be of the same standard, although I'm not sure.

I am not a technical person but my understanding is that they are competent.

My complaint about them is that when we have a problem, we have to explain the same thing many different times to different engineers. Every time we engage with a new engineer, we have to start all over again. This is a nightmare that we chased three months ago.

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

In addition to MySQL, we use Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server.

Oracle is an enterprise-level product but it is very straightforward to install and it has sufficient documentation and guides, which we did not easily find for MySQL.

How was the initial setup?

Implementing clustering depends on a few different layers or different components. The clustering layer handles requests from the applications, and it is all a bit more complex than Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle.

The design, review, and deployment took approximately one week.

What other advice do I have?

At the moment, because of the issue that we are having with the clustering, I may not recommend MySQL. It would first need to have the clustering problem fixed and then have a sufficient deployment guide. 

I would rate this solution a 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
PeerSpot user
Powerbuilder Consultant at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
Relational databse that can be used with PHP, Python, and Java.

What is most valuable?

  • Relational database (Although it's not 100% compliant with Standard SQL)
  • Performance
  • Open Source
  • Ease of setup and use
  • Ease of use with PHP, Python, and Java

How has it helped my organization?

Using MySQL helps to keep the costs down. With immense material available on the web, training is easy too.

This is the de facto DB for web development with PHP. If you worked with LAMP environment, this was the M in it (others being Linux, Apache Tomcat and PHP). With open source products, development was a breeze. Overall, this is a boon to small to medium database applications.

What needs improvement?

The simplicity of the product lets people abuse it. I've seen so many people create tables and add indices in PHP code. Some of these web developers only know some things about the database.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for about eight years.

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

We did not use a different solution for the applications that use MySQL. I mostly use Oracle for larger, enterprise software.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. There are a number of Open Source tools, including Toad and MySQL Workbench which helps with configuration and use.

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

This started as Open Source project under Sun. With Oracle acquiring Sun, MySQL is now owned by Oracle (not the community). Oracle promised to keep it open sourced, but the community is not convinced. So, there is a branch that's called Maria DB that's slowly taking over in some Open Source projects.

That being said, it is still an Open Source product and it is free to use under GPL license. This means you can always, get community support. But, if you want Oracle's support, that is not free.

If you use it in enterprise applications, you may have to purchase commercial license from Oracle. Here is a couple of links that discuss various options:

http://white-paper.b-lay.com/o...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse...

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated MS Access, SQLite, PostgreSQL, FireBird, and Oracle.

What other advice do I have?

This is a relational database tool for small to medium sized applications. However, this didn't start as a Relational DB, so if you want a truly Relational Database for an Enterprise, similar to Oracle, you may want to look into PostgreSQL, as well. However, MySQL is still a very good database for internet based applications.

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.