mysql4u.com

The release of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 on November 7th 2005 created a buzz around the office for IT professionals. The use of SQL server by businesses as in an in house data server has become increasingly more popular, this same popularity is now beginning to shift to the web hosting industry.

With the release of MS SQL 2005 Microsoft had this to say “Microsoft SQL Server 2005 provides an integrated data management and analysis platform that helps organizations reliably manage mission-critical information and confidently run complex business applications. With embedded reporting and data analysis tools included with SQL Server 2005, companies can gain greater insight from their business information.” The norm for hosting companies has forever been mySQL. mySQL is a free license database server which has an easy to use php based interface called phpmyadmin.

The difference in these two database platforms has become more apparent since the release of MS SQL 2005. We will look at two website hosting companies one of which offers only mySQL on a windows server (http://www.6squared.com) and one which offers both a mySQL and MS SQL 2005 database to its customers (http://www.fivecubed.com)

It is very difficult to make a performance comparison between SQL Server 2005 and MySQL version 4.1. The performance of your databases depends upon the experience of the database developers and database administrator rather than the database’s provider. You can use both of these RDBMS to build stable and efficient systems. It is also possible to define typical transactions used in inventory control systems such as airline reservation systems and banking systems. After defining these typical transactions, it is possible to run them under the different database management systems working with different hardware and software platforms.

The comparison aspect being looked at here is how the two web hosting companies sell their hosting packages and which company in turn produced a greater number of sales based on its database offerings. Fivecubed.com who offers MSSQL anteed up a large amount of money to host MSSQL for its customers in the hopes that more customers would use the service solely for the MSSQL. The break-even point for Fivecubed.com was $8,000 because they purchased the MSSQL 2005 standard edition processor specific. This puts 6squared.com at a huge advantage over fivecubed.com.

Both companies offer hosting for all price levels and incorporate a large array of features, which puts them on a somewhat even playing field if marketing is ignored. Fivecubed.com and 6squared.com were studied over a period of 1 month. The results of their sales from the period beginning November 7th, and Ending December 7th were as follows: Fivecubed.com had new sales of only database additions (not including hosting packages without database access) totaling 189 sales which translates into $2,632. The databases are sold based on two criteria size and quantity. 6squared.com offered its databases free during this one-month period and generated no additional revenue from database sales. This puts 6squared.com ahead of fivecubed.com by $5,368 at the end of one month by not purchasing MS SQL server.

Now for a projection of sales by fivecubed.com’s finance department. They determined a growth rate of 10% per month for the next 24 months. At the end of this time the total number of databases sold will equal 1,692.36, which translates into $13,538.88. As long as these forecasts hold fivecubed.com will reach its break even point by the 18th month and will turn a profit on the 19th month.

The demand for MSSQL shown in the first month that fivecubed.com implemented it was enough to create a profit after only 18 months.

Good programming–which is to say, programming that yields both efficient code and a profitable life for the programmer–depends on not reinventing the wheel. If someone else has solved the problem you’re facing (and someone almost always has), you’d be foolish to waste your energy figuring out your own solution. MySQL Cookbook presents solutions to scores of problems related to the MySQL database server. Readers stand a good chance of finding a ready-made solution to problems such as querying databases, validating and formatting data, importing and exporting values, and using advanced features like session tracking and transactions. Paul DuBois has done a great job assembling efficient solutions to common database programming problems, and teaches his readers a lot about MySQL and its attendant APIs in the process.

DuBois organizes his cookbook’s recipes into sections on the problem, the solution stated simply, and the solution implemented in code and discussed. The implementation and discussion sections are the most valuable, as they contain the command sequences, code listings, and design explanations that can be transferred to outside projects. The main gripe readers will have about MySQL Cookbook is that the author, in his effort to cover the range of MySQL-friendly programming languages, uses different languages in his solutions to various problems. You’ll see a Perl solution to one programming challenge (Perl, in fact, is the most frequently used language, followed by PHP), a Python fix for the next, and a Java sample after that. Readers have to hope that they find a solution in the language they’re working with, or that they’re able to transliterate the one DuBois has provided. It’s usually not a big problem. –David Wall

Topics covered: How to make MySQL databases do your bidding–in terms of queries, table manipulation, data formatting, transactions, and Web interfaces–through the database server’s command line interfaces and (more importantly) through the MySQL APIs of Perl, PHP, Java, and Python. Particularly excellent coverage deals with formatting dates and times, management of null values, string manipulation, and import/export techniques. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
Along with MySQL’s popularity has come a flood of questions about solving specific problems, and that’s where this Cookbook is essential. Designed as a handy resource when you need quick solutions or techniques, the book offers dozens of short, focused pieces of code and hundreds of worked-out examples for programmers of all levels who don’t have the time (or expertise) to solve MySQL problems from scratch.

The unexpected pleasure of reading books about databases is that they are often written by authors with highly organized minds. Paul DuBois and his editors at New Riders have assembled MySQL with a clarity and lucidity that inspires confidence in the subject matter: a (nearly) freely redistributable SQL-interpreting database client/server primarily geared for Unix systems but maintained for Windows platforms as well. What isn’t “free” about MySQL (the application) is its server’s commercial use; all clients and noncommercial server use are free. DuBois’s tome isn’t free either, but its list price is modest in light of its value and the value of its namesake.

The volume is superbly organized into 12 chapters and 10 appendices and contains a concise table of contents and a comprehensive 50-page index. It is peppered with references to the online HTML documentation that comes with the source and binary distributions (which are available and easy to install in stable rpm and tar releases.)

The first third of MySQL is an excellent instruction tool for database newbies; the second third is a detailed reference for MySQL developers; and the last third consists of clearly annotated appendices, including C, Perl (but not Python), and PHP interfaces.