Wrox - Beginning MySQL

Welcome to Beginning MySQL, the definitive resource for anyone new to the MySQL database management system. As the most popular open source database system in the world, MySQL has gained not only recognition among its peers but a place of prominence in the worldwide technical industry, ensuring an ever-growing need for information and training on how to implement a MySQL database and access and manage data in that database.

Because of its ease of implementation, low overhead, reliability, and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), MySQL has made remarkable inroads in the database management system market. As a result, the number of programmers who must connect to a MySQL database and embed SQL statements in their applications is growing steadily. There are now over five million MySQL installations worldwide, and that number is increasing rapidly. In addition, MySQL supports connectivity to numerous application languages and environments, including C, C++, PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, Java, Perl, C#, and Python, and it can be implemented on a number of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Unix, Solaris, FreeBSD, Mac OS, and HP-UX.

Corporate implementations continue to grow and include such companies as Yahoo!, Cox Communications, Google, Cisco, Texas Instruments, UPS, Sabre Holdings, HP, and the Associated Press. Even NASA and the U.S. Census Bureau have implemented MySQL solutions. MySQL has been proven to work in large deployments, while reducing system downtimes and administrative overhead and lowering hardware expendituresand licensing costs.

As organizations continue to seek ways to cut their TCO, MySQL will continue to gain in popularity— and its user-base will continue to grow. As a result, MySQL will gain further ground in becoming a prominent force in the industry. To meet this demand, Beginning MySQL provides you with a valuable resource and step-by-step learning tool that supplies you with the background information, examples, and hands-on exercises that you need to implement MySQL and manage data in its databases. Concepts are introduced in a logical manner, with each chapter building on the previous chapters. By the end of this book, you’ll have a complete foundation in MySQL, its implementation, and the methods necessary to connect to databases and manipulate data.