Darn, I just noticed that PlanetMySQL renders the literal equivalents of the < and > entity references I use to display XML in my previous blog entry "Importing XML data into MySQL using ExtractData()".

This means the xml fragments, but also the calls to MySQL XML functions won't show at all, or only partially (only the text content seem to be rendered).

I wonder how other people've solved that...

The topic of storing binary data in MySQL rears it's head every so often, a debate always ensues about if and when it's appropriate, and fades out without any resolution. Sheeri posed the question again a few days ago.

We did this at Tufts, had ~1.5 million images (~35G) that were stored and served from a MyISAM binary_data table. I think the grass is always greener on the other side. The performance was decent, and we were able to use replication to spread load but we regularly talked about moving to an NFS.

I should mention that I presented about this at OSCON, and was fairly pro database for binary data. Since that presentation our image database has more than doubled in size, and we gained access to a fullly-reduntant, multi-terrabyte Network Appliance. Once we had some of our …

As of version 5.1.5, MySQL supports some functions for handling XML Data. One can debate the subject wheter a rdbms should ship with XML capabilities. I happen to like this feature.

Working with XML tends to be very data-oriented. In alot of cases, only a trivial mapping is required between the relational data and the xml representation. In these cases, it is certainly quite convenient to have all the tools that implement the mapping close at hand.

MySQL XML capabilities up to 5.0

In prior versions, MySQL XML support was limited to exporting data in XML format using the MySQL command line client. All you need to do is start the mysql client utilitiy with the --xml or -X …

I managed to get my hands on a fairly cool device, the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet.  The picture above doesn't do it justice, but it's a small Internet tablet with built-in WiFi and a beautful crisp screen running 800x480 resolution. It weights just 8 ounces (230 grams) and can be easily carried in a jacket pocket.  Since the device is from Nokia, you might guess that it has basic phone capabilities or GPRS based web surfing, but it doesn't.  However, if you have a bluetooth enabled phone, you can surf via your phone. 

After a couple of days experimenting, I don't think this will replace my existing Palm Treo phone or Sony Vaio laptop, but I'm still impressed with it.  It offers the …

Sheeri wrote: So, most of the “I want images in MySQL” conversations are terminated with “Don’t.” People do say this for a reason. Here is the story of your request going through the system:
Continue reading "Serving Images From A Database"

I had a customer using Debian 64 Bit binaries downloaded from MySQL, experiencing hangs. Symptoms have been:

• INSERT hangs
• Replication hangs (SQL_Thread shown as running, but Exec counter not moving)
• Server cannot be shutdown, except with kill -9

This is Bug #8555, Debian Bug 314408, a problem with NPTL in libc6, version 2.3.2.ds1-22. Upgrading to a newer, UNSTABLE version of libc6 resolved the problem. The system is now running without problems at 1200 qps (4000 qps peak) in 64 Bit mode, using the MySQL AMD 64 bit download for 5.0.18.

I'm pretty excited about this event, and I'm really disappointed that I'm not going to be able to go. :(

http://mysqluc.com/

Tim, I really will meet you in person one of these days...

I spent the last 2 days in San Diego at O'Reilly's ETech conference. Last year I spoke about the then recently launched Yahoo! Search Developer Network (not YDN), but this year I was just there to hang out. No talk. No booth duty. No agenda. I took no pictures.

And you know what? I liked it that way.

It was nice to wander around and meet up with people I don’t see that often. Even better was meeting up with folks who I've known in some capacity but never actually met in person--people like Dylan Tweney.

Some of my coworkers got a chance to show off their latest project: CheckMates, a …

FrOSCon is a two-day conference on free software and open source, which takes place on 24th and 25th June 2006 at the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, in St. Augustin near Bonn, Germany.

The Call for Papers ends on March 15th - so you better hurry if you want to give a presentation there! I proposed two MySQL-related talks and also asked some other colleagues to file a few submissions. There is enough stuff happening here to talk about

By the way, their registration frontend is very slick - it's called pentabarf (which I personally think is a weird name) and is powered by Ruby on Rails.

If you’re looking for a highly effective, last-minute review before going to a MySQL certification exam, then the UC tutorials may be just what you’re looking for: On the first day of the User’s Conference, there will be “certification primer” tutorials for the DBA-I and DBA-II exams.

These tutorials will not bring you from scratch and to the point where you can pass the certification exam .. after all, there’s only so much you can say in 3.5 hours. But if you show up well prepared (for example, by reading the relevant parts of the certification study guide [us; …