MySQL takes database upgrade for test drive

MySQL has released the first beta version of a major upgrade to its open source database, adding several features designed for corporate users.

The beta to MySQL 5.0.3 was made available from MySQL's Web site earlier this week for platforms including Linux, Solaris, AIX, Windows, and Mac OS X. The software isn't intended yet for production use; instead, MySQL hopes developers will try out the database and provide feedback to help it resolve issues. The final release is due by the end of the second quarter, said Zack Urlocker, vice president of marketing for MySQL, in Uppsala, Sweden.

The main additions include support for stored procedures, triggers, and views. Together they will make the database more suitable for jobs like running an e-commerce Web site or building a data warehouse, Urlocker said. The upgrade also adds support for transactions running across several servers or databases, including databases from other vendors.

"This is probably the biggest upgrade we've down in the last 10 years," Urlocker said. "It should open the market to a much broader audience of users."

MySQL offers its database under a dual licensing model: customers can use the software for free under the GNU GPL (General Public License), or buy a commercial license if they want to distribute the database with an application for which they do not want to release the source code. The second option is popular among independent software vendors that distribute the database with their products.

In February MySQL launched a third option for enterprise users. Called MySQL Network, it includes a GPL license, indemnification against intellectual property lawsuits and some new support options. The annual subscription price ranges from $595 to $4,995 per database server depending on the level of support.

MySQL says its software complements, rather than competes with, databases from market leaders Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft, but it clearly hopes to take business from those vendors.

"Most large companies have lots of different database systems. They may choose to run Oracle or Microsoft; we think MySQL has a really good bang for the buck because the open source model makes it very cost effective," Urlocker said.

Many of the features MySQL is adding to its database with Version 5.0 have long been available from the more established vendors.

About 40 percent of MySQL's customers run its database on Linux, with about 35 percent running Microsoft Windows, Urlocker said.

The release of its beta is behind schedule by a few months; it was originally due out at the end of the fourth quarter, then in January or February. MySQL delayed the release to ensure it would be higher quality, which allowed it to slip in a few features originally planned for later versions, such as support for precision math and XA (distributed transactions), Urlocker said.

The company will talk more about the product at its user conference in Santa Clara, California, which starts April 18.