MySQL ships major database upgrade by James Niccolai

MySQL AB has released the production version of its open-source database upgrade, MySQL 5.0, the company announced today.

The new release adds several features that have long been standard in bigger rivals' databases, including triggers, views and stored procedures. MySQL is billing it as its biggest upgrade ever, although pricing remains unchanged from the previous version.

MySQL AB offers two types of licenses: Customers can download the software for free under the open-source General Public License, or they can pay for a commercial license. The second option is mostly for third-party vendors, such as independent software vendors that want to resell MySQL with their products.

MySQL also offers support services, called the MySQL Network, which range in price from $293 per server per year to $4,784 per server per year, depending on the level of support.

More than 30 enterprise software and database tools vendors have said they will certify their products for the new release, including Business Objects SA, Novell Inc., Informatica Corp. and SAP AG, MySQL said.

The database upgrade is available now for Linux, Windows, Solaris, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, HP-UX, IBM AIX 5L and other operating systems.

The software competes with databases from Oracle Corp., IBM, Microsoft Corp. and others, as well as several open-source implementations.

Oracle stirred up the MySQL community recently when it bought Finnish open-source company Innobase OY, whose InnoDB storage engine is a popular choice for use with MySQL's database. Oracle said at the time that it will continue to work with MySQL, but MySQL is nevertheless taking pains to emphasize that InnoDB is only one of several options from which its users can choose.

More information is at available on MySQL's Web site.