Is Drizzle good for MySQL?

Have you heard of Drizzle? It was announced at OSCON yesterday and is all over the blogosphere. From the Drizzle FAQ:

* So what are the differences between is and MySQL?

No modes, views, triggers, prepared statements, stored procedures, query cache, data conversion inserts, ACL. Fewer data types. Less engines, less code. Assume the primary engine is transactional.

Also from the FAQ is that, right now at least, there is no intention to make this run natively on windows and they make the point:

* "This is not a SQL compliant relational..."

Very true, and we do not aim to be that.

It is a fork of MySQL that takes it backward to pre-5.0 in features but hopefully greatly reduces the bugs and instabilities. I plan to look at it but I don't see much enterprise adoption. It was the enterprise users who wanted stored procedures, views and most of the other stuff that is being removed. I think it will be adopted mainly by read-only (or mostly) web sites that want to serve many pages. That's ok. There's a huge market for that. If I found a fit for a client, I would consider it.

They are very honest with the goals:

* What is the target?

Deliver a microkernel that we can use to build a database that meets the needs of a web/cloud infrastructure. To this end we are exploring http interfaces, sharding enhancements, etc... do not expect an Oracle, MySQL, Postgres, or DB2.

I was reading my usual stable of blogs this morning and ran across two blog entries that got me thinking. First is Ronald Bradford's blog, The new kid on the block - Drizzle. Ronald gives a great overview of what Drizzle is trying to achieve, the current state of MySQL and reasons why Drizzle is a good idea. This is well worth a read. I'm just this far from being convinced. ;-)

The second was On MySQL Forks and MySQL's non-open source documentation on Jeremy Cole's blog. To answer his question, I did not know that the MySQL documentation was not open source. That is a very interesting point and one that never even occurred to me. I wonder if Sun would consider opening it?

Anyway, both of those got me thinking about forking MySQL. If you look at the Postgres community (not comparing the databases, just the goals of the community) over the years, they have taken great pains to not fork the database. The contrib modules are there so that the database can add functionality without forking. The companies who have tried to make a go at monetizing Postgres have also taken great pains to not fork the database.

In fairness to Drizzle, it may have a sort of contrib module like functionality (bolding is mine):

* What is the goal?

A micro-kernel that we then extend to add what we need (all additions come through interfaces that can be compiled/loaded in as needed). The target for the project is web infrastructure backend and cloud components.

With Postgres, even companies like Yahoo and Skype who needed specific functionality have contributed that back to the community so that the code will eventually be reworked into the mainline (or as a contrib). There is a very anti-forking bias in the Postgres community and I think that has helped advance the database.

Ignoring any commercial interests, will the MySQL community become fragmented by forking? Because honestly, the community is the important part of any open source project. If Sun is putting its resources behind MySQL 5.1 and 6, and if they don't open the documentation, where will Drizzle go?

I'm just not convinced that Drizzle is a good thing or that it's needed. Then again, if they concentrate on making this a natively scalable database for the cloud, maybe it is time for a fork. Although, I'm not sure that goal is achievable starting with the MySQL codebase. What do you think?

LewisC

Technorati : competition, fork, fragmentation, mysql

Results of EnterpriseDB Open Source Database Survey

EnterpriseDB announced the results of the survey they did a few months ago at OSCON. Now, take the results with a grain of salt as it was done by EnterpriseDB. EnterpriseDB is based on Postgres so there is a vested interest in making Postgres sound good. Results can be skewed depending on how the survey is worded, what options are available as answers and who the respondents are.

The results summary is available for free.

Some key facts:

500 respondents. The download page says "500 corporate IT leaders". Or maybe, 500 open source developers. ;-)

Only 9% of respondents indicated that they preferred commercial solutions over open source solutions. I would guess that a majority of those responding were open source database people anyway. This is also one place where I think the wording of survey questions makes a difference. I'd like to see the survey again and compare the results to the survey itself.

The survey shows that respondents are using open source to migrate away from Oracle and SQL Server. It says that less than 1% is using open source to migrate away from DB2. Since DB2 is a major investor in EnterpriseDB, that doesn't surprise me. Again, the target users of the survey make a difference as well as the questions themselves.

Of course, Postgres was chosen more than any other open source database for transactional applications and high reliability. Again, not surprising based on who wrote the survey and what they sell.

Before I put very much value on this survey, I would want to see more than just a hand-crafted summary of the results. A spreadsheet of all the questions and the answers chosen would be, at least somewhat, valuable. Without that though, it's just marketing. I can't find anything on the site indicating the full results will be made available.

Del.icio.us : database, enterprisedb, mysql, open source, oscon, postgres, survey

MySQL vs Postgres, Again - Is Postgres Better?

I was browsing the web on this lazy Sunday afternoon and ran across a good article on the Rarest Words blog. The author was trying to get Django installed and running with Postgres. From the author's own admissions, he is not a Postgres fanatic.

Well, this and last year I hear everywhere that PostgreSQL is the way to go and that usage of mySQL in 2008 makes people puke… But without any real arguments (besides "Postgres is the way to go").

After some not so compatible errors with these not so compatible databases, the author did get it working and ran some benchmarks. Postgres did not turn out faster than MySQL. If you ask anyone in the Postgres community which database is faster, they will say Postgres. Ask anyone in the MySQL community and there's no telling what answer you'll get. ;-)

I have now worked with quite a few different databases. Over the last decade most of my time has been spent with Oracle but I have also spent some time with MySQL and Postgres. So, I have to tell you, Oracle is faster. ;-) Just kidding.

What I have found is that any claim that one database is the best database is just kind of silly. Every database has a different feature set, a different set of strengths and a different set of weaknesses. Comparisons are good so that people know where a database is best used but it's pointless for claims of "winners and losers".

It's sort of like benchmarks. If you benchmark two databases, the loser fan base will always claim that you didn't tune correctly. Or the benchmark was invalid. Or the wrong engine was used. Or whatever. They may be true but even so, with all things being equal, that does not invalidate the benchmark. Under those conditions, one or the other is faster. Is that significant? Probably not.

So, which is better for Django? I haven't a clue. I don't know much about Django. I'd say the best database is the one you are most comfortable using and have the most experience with.

When switching from one database to another, I think most people have pretty much the same experience as the blog author had. It can be really painful at first. I like it. Not the pain so much but digging in to it. I like understanding the differences between one database and another. But then, I'm sort of weird that way. ;-)

For business reasons, if a database is working fine for your needs, don't switch. Most people don't need the absolute performance that a $250/hour brain surgeon DBA might be able to give you. And if you do, you're probably already running Oracle. ;-)

LewisC

Technorati : compare, database, django, mysql, oracle, postgres

Free Database Design Tools

LewisC's An Expert's Guide To Oracle Technology

Sun just announced MySQL Workbench, a new database design tool for MySQL developers and DBAs. I'm a data modeling tool junkie. I like to play with any I can get my hands on. I've used almost every modeling tool that's been built. My all time favorite is probably Erwin.

I decided to download MySQL Workbench and give it a try. Since I was playing with it, I figured I should write about it and while I am writing about it, I might as well write about a couple of other tools, that I have personally used, that you might like.

TOAD Data Modeler

The TOAD Data Modeler from Quest used to have a free version. I can no longer find a link to a free version but you can download a free copy of the latest Beta version. It's unfortunate that Quest has decided not to continue the free version, though. Like most Quest tools, the price tag for Data Modeler is high, $479.00 per seat. That's a bit more than I want to pay.

It is a good looking tool though. If I am mistaken and you can find the free version, it worth checking out.

It has everything you would expect in a data model tool. It also has excellent support for most databases. It supports the commercial databases (SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase and DB2). It also supports Postgres 8.1 and 8.2 (no 8.3 so no XML type) and MySQL 5.

It can be a bit kludgey to use at times and at $479.00 I don't have any reason to recommend it over my next design tool

fabForce DBDesigner 4

DBDesigner is a MySQL database design tool that just happens to provide some support for other databases. It supports SQL Server, Oracle, SQL Lite and ODBC.

There are a few features I really like in DBDesigner4.

• It's free. I like free.
• If you are using a database not directly supported, you can create your own data type. Right click in the data type window and select Create New Datatype.
• Reverse Engineering. That means you can connect to a database and it will import your model. That's rare in a free tool.

I have used this tool for a while now and have designed a couple of different application schemas using it.

My only complaint would be that the interface sometimes seems non-intuitive/non-standard. I find myself looking around trying to find the button or menu option that I know is there, just not where I expect it to be. That's a nit though. I definitely recommend this tool to anyone looking for design tool. I would choose Erwin of DBDesigner but only if someone else was paying for it.

MySQL Workbench

And now on to MySQL Workbench. I have to say that I have only spent a short amount of time playing with it but I like it. Sun is offering a community edition and a standard edition. The community edition is feature limited and free, standard has additional features and costs $99.00. You can read about the differences.

As I used it, I kept thinking to myself how much like DBDesigner it is. I don't know if they licensed DBDesigner code or if it's just coincidence. The interface does have a different look and feel but there is something about it that just makes me think DBDesigner.

Compare the DBDesigner screen shot to the MySQL Workbench screen shot. They're eerily similar.

Still, like most MySQL tools, it's easy to install and use. Even if it is based on DBDesigner, it is restricted to being just a MySQL tool. I couldn't find anyway to connect to any database though. That might be a limitation between standard and community.

NOTE: I just found a Workbench FAQ entry about DBDEsigner 4:

Q.2: Is the MySQL Workbench based on the code of DBDesigner4?

No, MySQL Workbench is a complete rewrite in C++ / C# / Objective-C. Not a single line of code is shared between the projects. But Workbench does build on the experience and feedback got from the DBDesigner4 project and should be better than its predecessor in every respect once GA quality is reached.

If you're MySQL only, Workbench could be a good choice. DBDesigner does offer reverse engineering and documentation for free though, in addition to supporting multiple databases. I think I will stick with DBDesigner4 for now (when my employer/client doesn't provide their own modeling tool).

LewisC

Technorati : data, data model, database, design, model, mysql, oracle, postgres, tool

Take an Open Source Database Survey

LewisC's An Expert's Guide To Oracle Technology

Do you know which open source feature is the most important? Do you know which open source database rocks and which one sucks? Is MySQL better than Postgres? Is Ingres worth considering? How does Firebird compare? Have you used, or have you considered using, an open source database?

Take a survey. It's only 15 questions so it takes just a few minutes.

I'll post a link where you can get the results once they have been compiled and prepared.

BTW, this isn't my survey. I'm just passing on the link.

LewisC

My New DB GUI

I've been playing with various GUIs off and on over the last couple of months. I find that I drop to mysql.exe quite often no matter which tool I use. My favorites until recently have been the MySQL GUI Tools and NaviCat.

I was using the Lite edition of Navicat. I actually started using navicat with postgres a few years ago. I like it but the lite version is limited in some annoying ways. It's nice in that it runs (at least the mysql version) in Linux and windows. I don't use a mac so that doesn't really do anything for me.

Of course the MySQL gui tools run just about anywhere.

I just remembered that Quest Software has a mysql tool called TOAD for MySQL. I have been a user of TOAD for Oracle for well over a decade. I started using it before Quest owned it.

TOAD started at the Tool for Oracle Application Developers. So calling it Tool for Oracle Application Developers for MySQL sounds kind of stupid. ;-)

TOAD is still the most advanced gui tool for Oracle. I have started using Oracle's SQL Developer and it's a nice tool but TOAD still has it beat on a feature and performance basis right now.

Anyway, my point with all of this is that TOAD for MySQL is now my preferred tool. It is completely free although it runs only on windows. It has the most advanced feature set of any of the database tools I've been using recently.

In addition to MySQL and Oracle, it also supports MS SQL Server, DB2 and Sybase. If they came out with a Postgres version it would be a complete set.

The query builder and erd tool are highly functional. When I am new to an application, the first thing I look for is an ERD. Most MySQL applications do not have one available (at least in my experience). So, I start off by building one.

The schema browser also blows away the competition. Grid view and edit with out the pain of separate pop up windows. very nice. You can also see all of the databse objects.

My suggestion, when you install, choose the TOAD for Oracle view. If you prefer an explorer view, choose the SQL Navigator view.

Give it a try. You can read my initial review (kind of old now though).

LewisC

MySQL vs Postgres Wiki

There is a new wiki comparing MySQL to PostgreSQL. Because it's a wiki, hopefully it can be kept updated so that it's current AND accurate. The wiki is MySQL vs PostgreSQL. Personally, I'd like to see this grow into a universal comparison site that the community could keep updated. LewisC