Learning MySQL, 2nd Edition

Preface

Database management systems are part of the core of many companies. Even if a business is not technology-focused, it needs to store, access, and manipulate data in a fast, secure, and reliable way. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many areas that had traditionally resisted digital transformation, like the judiciary systems in many countries, are now being integrated through technology due to travel and meeting restrictions, and online shopping and working from home are more popular than ever before.

But it’s not just disasters that have propelled such far-reaching changes. With the advent of 5G, we will soon have many more machines connected to the internet than humans. Vast amounts of data are already being harvested, stored, and used to train machine learning models, artificial intelligence, and much more. We are living at the beginning of the next revolution.

Several database types have emerged to help with the mission of storing more data—especially unstructured data—including NoSQL databases like MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis. However, traditional SQL databases remain popular, and there is no sign that they will vanish in the near future. And in the SQL world, undoubtedly the most popular open source solution is MySQL.

Both of the authors of this book have worked with many customers from all parts of the world. Along the way, we have learned lots of lessons and experienced a vast number of use cases, ranging from mission-critical monolith applications to simpler ...