Encrypt your credentials using GPG

This blog post will look how to use encryption to secure your database credentials.

In the recent blog post Use MySQL Shell Securely from Bash, there are some good examples of how you might avoid using a ~/.my.cnf – but you still need to put that password down on disk in the script. MySQL 5.6.6 and later introduced the  –login-path option, which is a handy way to store per-connection entries and keep the credentials in an encrypted format. This is a great improvement, but as shown in Get MySQL Passwords in Plain Text from .mylogin.cnf, …

I will be presenting a short lightening talk on MySQL's JSON Data Type for NomandPHP on Thursday the 13th of October. Chuck Reeves will be doing the main presentation on How the 3rd Normal Form Destroyed a Family. Get your tickets here.

Starting with the 8.0 optimizer labs release the MySQL server now supports descending indexes. As I will detail in this post, this new feature can be used to eliminate the need for sorting results, and lead to performance improvements in a number of queries.…

In this blog post, I’ll look at how to use the loose_ option prefix in my.cnf in MySQL.

mysqld throws errors at startup – and refuses to start up – if a non-existent options are defined in the my.cnf file.

For example:

2016-10-05 15:56:07 23864 [ERROR] /usr/sbin/mysqld: unknown variable 'bogus_option=1'

The MySQL manual has a solution: use the loose_ prefix option in my.cnf file.

In the prior example, if we specify loose_bogus_option=1 in the my.cnf file, instead of bogus_option=1, mysqld starts successfully and ignores that option.

This is useful in three situations:

1. Using …

This blog discusses the gradual end of MyISAM in MySQL.

The story that started 20 years ago is coming to its end. I’m talking about the old MyISAM storage engine that was the only storage provided by MySQL in 1995, and was available in MySQL for 20+ years. Actually, part of my job as a MySQL consultant for 10+ years was to discover MyISAM tables and advise customers how to convert those to InnoDB.

(Check your MySQL installation, you may still have MyISAM tables).

MySQL 5.7 still used MyISAM storage for the system tables in the MySQL schema.

In MySQL 8.0 (DMR version as of writing), the MyISAM storage engine is still available. But in a very limited scope:

• After …

PS_history is a tool which collects historical snapshots of the PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA (P_S). This allows you to trend P_S values over time, for example, it is possible to look at the 95 th percentile response time for a query over time.

PS_history is stored procedure and event based, and thus it resides entirely inside of the database with no external dependencies. It uses a clever technique to capture all of the P_S data in one consistent snapshot. This ensures that all of the sys_history views (bundled now with PS_history) have a consistent set of data.

By default, as long as the event_schedule is enabled, PS_history will collect data every 30 seconds. If a snapshot takes 30 seconds, there will be a 30 second delay before the next snapshot starts. This value can be changed by calling the `ps_history`.`set_collection_interval`(N) where N is the number of seconds between samples.

The `sys_history` schema is …

PS_history is a tool which collects historical snapshots of the PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA (P_S). This allows you to trend P_S values over time, for example, it is possible to look at the 95 th percentile response time for a query over time.

PS_history is stored procedure and event based, and thus it resides entirely inside of the database with no external dependencies. It uses a clever technique to capture all of the P_S data in one consistent snapshot. This ensures that all of the sys_history views (bundled now with PS_history) have a consistent set of data.

By default, as long as the event_schedule is enabled, PS_history will collect data every 30 seconds. If a snapshot takes 30 seconds, there will be a 30 second delay before the next snapshot starts. This value can be changed by calling the `ps_history`.`set_collection_interval`(N) where N is the number of seconds between samples.

The `sys_history` schema is …

The MySQL Connector/Python Team is pleased to announce the newest MySQL Connector/Python 2.1.4, the second GA version of 2.1 release series of the pure Python database driver for MySQL.

This release includes a number of improvements for usability, stability and security.

Changes in MySQL Connector/Python 2.1.4 GA Security Notes

The linked OpenSSL library for Connector/Python Commercial has been updated to version 1.0.1q. Issues fixed in the new OpenSSL version are described at http://www.openssl.org/news/vulnerabilities.html. This change does not affect Oracle-produced MySQL Community builds of Connector/Python, which use the yaSSL library instead.
The change also does not affect connections made using any pure Python implementation of Connector/Python, for which the version of OpenSSL used is whatever is installed on the system.

Bugs fixed

• Connector/Python failed to establish connections …

To focus on just one point for OTN appreciation day on October 11 2016 and to the benefit of all users of MySQL is to consider the extremely convenient and rich value of information available in the MySQL Performance Schema to understand what SQL queries are running in a MySQL instance now. The MySQL Performance Schema in MySQL 5.6 is enabled by default, (performance_schema=on).

The following one off SQL statement will enable the instrumentation of SQL statements in the most detailed level of assessment.

The following query will show you the longest running queries in your database at this present time.

This ease of accessing what is running in a MySQL instance replaces many different and creative techniques …

Hi all MySQL & Friends fans,

I’ve the pleasure to announce you that the CfP for MySQL & Friends Devroom for Fosdem 2017 is now open.

FOSDEM 2017 edition will be held February 4 and 5 in Brussels like every year since 2000.

The MySQL & Friends Devroom is back again on Saturday from 9.00AM.

What is FOSDEM? It stands for the “Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting.” It’s a free event that offers open-source communities a place to meet, share ideas and collaborate.

CfP is open until December 6th (St Nicolas)!

The submission can be done using https://fosdem.org/submit.

If you don’t have an account yet, …