Category Archives: Using MariaDB
Have you ever written a query where the GROUP BY was easy, but the aggregate was the problem?
You know how to group the rows.
You know what result you want for each group.
But none of the built-in aggregate functions really match your logic.
So you end up with a long expression using SUM(), CASE, IF(), GROUP_CONCAT(), JSON functions, or application-side code. It works, but it is not beautiful. And if you need the same logic in several places, it becomes even worse.
This is exactly the kind of problem MariaDB’s CREATE AGGREGATE FUNCTION solves.
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Continue reading “MariaDB Hidden Gem: Create Aggregate Function”
One of the corner stones in MariaDB Foundation’s mission is:
We strive to increase adoption by users and across use cases, platforms and means of deployment.
MariaDB Server plugins are definitely a prime “means of deployment” for server features. But a relatively neglected one so far. They have been around for many years. But, somehow, they have escaped the user’s focus. Why that happened is a very interesting topic. And one that I’d definitely like to hear your opinion on!
Which brings me to my main topic: How do we all change that?
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Earlier this month, I had a half-hour chat with Kellyn Gorman, a Database and AI Advocate and Engineer at Redgate. The UK software company is known for database DevOps and database management tools most databases – and since 2024 as the owner of DB-Engines popularity Ranking of database management systems.
The chat was an intellectual pleasure, to say the least. Kellyn is outstandingly well informed on databases, with a background starting in Oracle, spanning most databases as a DBA and industry analyst, and by now using MariaDB for about fifteen years, almost since its inception.
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Continue reading “Database Trends: What is changing in the database world (besides AI)”
When dealing with queries in MariaDB, there are several approaches, such as the general query log, the slow query log, and the performance_schema.
The general query log is not recommended as it doesn’t contain much valuable information and can use a lot of resources when writing to the file on busy systems.
The slow query log is a much better option, as it contains many metrics and can be tuned. But if you want to collect everything, writing to the disk can also be an expensive operation.
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Continue reading “Improving MariaDB Observability with OpenSearch and Grafana”
When choosing a database, many times you want to play and see what it can do to see if it’s relevant. Containers are easy, but a web page is even easier. DB Fiddle (https://www.db-fiddle.com/) has added MariaDB to its collection of databases that can be tested.
One of DB Fiddle’s strengths is its Text to DDL function, that can take a text format of a table, and create a database structure from it. I took the following paragraph of a table in markdown.
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Continue reading “DB Fiddle – SQL Database Playground – now has MariaDB”
MariaDB is the natural replacement for MySQL. Why? Because it is the organic continuation of the MySQL that conquered the Internet. MySQL 8.0 is a fork of that foundation, while MariaDB stayed on track.
That said, the MySQL fork is soft: Compatibility remains remarkable and migration back to the mothership is smooth.
As the Chairman of the MariaDB Foundation, and someone having joined MySQL AB’s management team in 2001, that is my response to the article As Oracle loses interest in MySQL, devs mull future options in The Register.
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Continue reading “MariaDB is the natural replacement for MySQL”
MariaDB plc recently acquired SkySQL and rebranded it MariaDB Cloud that offers serverless MariaDB as a service. Kaj Arnö interviewed the technical father, and now it is time for a practical, technical kick-the-tires look at MariaDB Cloud.
In this tutorial, I’ll show developers how to set up a MariaDB Cloud database and load sample data in under 10 minutes. Perfect for showcasing simple SQL commands and MariaDB features with our public data set openflights – which incidentally is what one of the tracks in our ongoing hackathon is about.
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Continue reading “MariaDB Cloud – kicking the tires with openflights data”
When co-founding MariaDB plc under the name SkySQL Corporation fifteen years ago (before MariaDB Foundation existed), we picked the name SkySQL with a bit of a reference to the cloud. Obviously, we didn’t then have a clear understanding of what type of a cloud offering MariaDB should have. I am glad to note that those days are finally and completely over, with MariaDB Cloud. I wish it hadn’t taken fifteen years!
So now, I sat down for a proper chat with Jags Ramnarayan, the technical father of SkySQL / MariaDB Cloud.
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Continue reading “MariaDB Cloud: A Semi-Technical Introduction”