I am starting a blog post series on using indexes — or tables — as queues.  I had this series in the back of my mind for some time.  This started a few years back when I worked on optimizing a row deletion job (I do not call this a purge job, to avoid confusion with the InnoDB Purge).  Such jobs can be generalized to using indexes (or tables) as queues (this is

This guide explains how to subtract days from dates across MySQL, H2, and other databases with different SQL dialects. Learn how to standardize behavior using compatibility modes, wrapper functions, and unified tooling so the same logic works reliably even when multiple database engines run side by side.

The post Mastering Cross-Database Date Manipulation: Subtracting Days in MySQL and H2  appeared first on Devart Blog.

One question that surfaces regularly in the Percona forums: Does every node in a Percona XtraDB Cluster (PXC) need to have XtraBackup installed? It's a fair question, especially when managing a mixed environment or trying to minimize the software footprint on certain nodes. Here is what the actual mechanics and testing confirm.

The Short Answer (But Read On)

It depends on what you want that node to do. The nuance matters quite a bit here, so it is worth walking through how State Snapshot Transfer (SST) works in PXC and why XtraBackup's presence — or absence — on a given node is significant.

A Quick Refresher on SST in PXC

When a new node joins a Percona XtraDB Cluster, or when an existing node has been down long enough that Incremental State Transfer (IST) is no longer possible, the cluster performs a State Snapshot Transfer (SST). This is essentially a full data …

The MySQL ODBC driver is what keeps BI tools, reporting systems, and ETL pipelines connected to MySQL without errors. Teams have depended on it for years, and it’s still vital today, especially with MySQL ranked #2 worldwide in February 2026.  However, not all ODBC drivers are built alike. There are two categories: open-source options and commercial ones. While both connect applications to […]

The post ODBC Driver for MySQL: Open-Source vs Commercial (2026)  appeared first on Devart Blog.

If you’re working with MySQL HeatWave, Oracle’s powerful in-memory query accelerator for analytics workloads, you might find yourself needing to verify whether your tables are properly loaded into that speedy in-memory columnar storage engine known as RAPID. HeatWave is all about boosting performance by offloading analytical queries from the standard MySQL row-based storage to an optimized in-memory […]

Something changed in MySQL 8.4 related to caching, and it is easy to miss, so it deserves a post.  And a subject adjacent to this is the missing Release Candidate for MySQL 8.4 LTS, with my hope that the next LTS will have a Release Candidate, so I also cover this topic below.

(if you are not interested in Caching and Flushing, you can jump directly to the section about Release Candidate)

If you’ve ever dived into MySQL configuration, you’ve probably come across the term “SQL modes.” These are powerful settings that can change how MySQL interprets SQL queries, handles data validation, and even enforces certain standards. But with great power comes great responsibility – choosing the wrong mode can lead to unexpected behaviors, data inconsistencies, or […]

As we shared in the MySQL Belgium Days in January, and summarized in the latest blog post , we are excited to invite you to an upcoming MySQL community webinar. This is an opportunity to connect directly with the MySQL team. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 am ET and join […]

This post covers a hands-on walkthrough of MySQL 8.0's JSON functions. JSON support has been in MySQL since 5.7, but 8.0 added a meaningful set of improvements — better indexing strategies, new functions, and multi-valued indexes — that make working with JSON data considerably more practical. The following documents several of the most commonly needed patterns, including EXPLAIN output and performance observations worth knowing about.

This isn't a "JSON vs. relational" debate post. If you're storing JSON in MySQL, you probably already have your reasons. The goal here is to make sure you're using the available tooling effectively.

Environment

mysql> SELECT @@version, @@version_comment\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
        @@version: 8.0.36
@@version_comment: MySQL Community Server - GPL

Testing was done on a VM with 8GB RAM and …

What Happened at the Summits We just wrapped up two MySQL Community Summits – one in San Francisco in January, and one in Brussels right before FOSDEM. The energy in the rooms: a lot of people who care deeply about MySQL got together, exchanged ideas, and left with a clear sense that we need to […]