If you wish to pursue the domains of Big Data, BI, and Business Analytics, you will inevitably come across SQL and MySQL. The following are the topics that we will be covering today to help you learn more about these two key terms in the world of databases:
To start learning about SQL and MySQL, you will first have to know about relational databases and RDBMS. So, here is a quick overview.
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RDBMS Overview
A relational database organizes and stores data items, which are in a structured format, into a set of tables with columns and rows that can be linked, based on common data or predefined relationships between them.
RDBMS, on the other hand, is a subset of DBMS, a database program or software system that catalogs, retrieves, and runs queries on data. RDBMS is specifically designed for relational databases. It is an acronym for Relational Database Management Systems.
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What is SQL?
In simple terms, SQL or Structured Query Language is a standard language that is used for storing and managing data in RDBMS. With SQL, users can add, access, retrieve, update, and delete data in relational databases and tables. With SQL, the database can be queried in several ways by using English-like statements. SQL is owned, hosted, maintained, and offered by Microsoft and is used by MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MS Access, and Informix as their standard database language.
One of the significant aspects of using SQL is that you can retrieve multiple records in a database with a single command.
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What is MySQL?
MySQL is an open-source RDBMS owned by Oracle that performs specific SQL functions or operations and manages relational databases through SQL commands. It is written in C and C++ and supports major platforms such as Windows, UNIX, Linux, and macOS X. It can be installed on a server or even on a desktop.
MySQL offers the ability to tailor the source code as per the requirements and grants multiuser access to databases. It is scalable, fast, and reliable, and it offers an easy way to start a low-memory disk or CPU database. It is one of the core components of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP,) which is an open-source web-service stack.
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Key Differences Between SQL and MySQL
- SQL is a domain-specific query language while MySQL is an RDBMS that uses SQL to retrieve data from the database.
- Through SQL, one can perform operations to retrieve and manipulate stored data in a database. MySQL, on the other hand, stores the existing data in separate MySQL tables in an organized manner.
- SQL is used to write queries for databases, whereas MySQL facilitates data storing, modification, and management in a tabular format.
- SQL supports a single storage engine, while MySQL supports multiple and pluggable storage engines that make it more flexible.
- In SQL, data cannot be manipulated data directly providing more data security, while in MySQL, database files can be easily manipulated or modified by using binaries during the run time.
- SQL, not being an open-source language, does not come with community support but MySQL offers rich and robust community support because it is an open-source platform.
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SQL vs MySQL: The Fundamental Differences
| Parameters | SQL | MySQL |
| Definition | SQL is a domain-specific query language. | MySQL is an RDBMS that uses SQL to retrieve data from the database. |
| Operations | Helps retrieve and manipulate stored data in a database by performing different operations | Stores the existing data in separate tables in an organized manner |
| Functions | Used to write queries for databases | Facilitates data storing, modification, and management in a tabular format |
| Format and Syntax | Follows a standard format, and the basic syntax and commands remain the same | MySQL is updated frequently |
| Support | Apache Spark Connector for SQL does not come with any Microsoft support | Comes with MySQL workbench as an integrated tool that helps in designing and building databases |
| Storage Engine | Supports a single storage engine | Supports multiple and pluggable storage engines that make it more flexible |
| Server and Database | The server remains independent of the database in SQL, which means that you can perform other operations on the database during a data backup session. | The server blocks the database and you cannot perform other operations on the database during a data backup session, thus minimizing data corruption when switching from one MySQL version to another. |
| Data Security | External processes or third-party apps do have access to and cannot manipulate data directly | Database files can be easily manipulated or modified by using binaries during the run time |
| Community Support | Not being an open-source language, SQL does not come with community support | Offers rich and robust community support because it is an open-source platform |
SQL vs MySQL Pricing
There are three editions available for both SQL and MySQL. Let’s take a look at the different prices. For SQL, the top-tier and the most expensive one is the SQL Server Enterprise Edition costing US$13,748 for 2 core packs. The MySQL Cluster CGE is the most expensive tier and costs US$10,000. The MySQL Enterprise Edition, however, is priced at US$5,000.
The standard edition for SQL costs US$3,586 for 2 core packs, while MySQL Standard Edition is priced at US$2,000.
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Conclusion
To conclude, the SQL vs MySQL comparison cannot be a debate as they are two innately different data management tools that are complementary to relational database requirements.
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