Hi Bryan,
I wonder if, perhaps, you don't know what a MySQL Storage Engine is?
MySQL is designed in a manner that allows you to change the actual
technology used to store data. When you issue SQL statements (et al)
against MySQL databaases, the system interprets the statement, etc, runs
through the query plan, query optimizer, etc, just as it would with any
SQL statement. But then, it can run against different underlying
technology (transparent to the SQL statement) depending on which storage
engine the table was created with.
MySQL already supports several storage engines, most notably MyISAM and
InnoDB (but there are several others, such as one that implements the
database in heap memory, and another that actually uses CSV files...)
That way, you can pick the database engine that's most suitable for what
you're doing. Temporary tables might use the heap memory engine, for
example. InnoDB is better for transactional tables. MyISAM is better
for non-transactional tables... you can pick whichever storage
engine is most appropriate for your needs.
Anyway, the idea behind the DB2 storage engine is that you can run your
existing MySQL programs without any sort of modification. No changes to
the SQL statement, etc, but under the covers it'll use IBM DB2 tables
(i.e. physical and logical files) as the storage mechanism.
I'm guessing that you didn't understand that, since you asked about the
"human interface" -- which makes no sense in the context of a storage
engine.
Or to put it another way: The human interface is not changing. MySQL
has a well-established human interface that people have been using for
years and years. The addition of a DB2 storage engine has absolutely
no impact on that human interface.
You can download and run MySQL today (or last year, or five years ago
for that matter) with InnoDB or MyISAM and the human interface will be
exactly the same when you run DB2.
MySQL comes with command-line tools named 'mysql' and 'mysqladmin' that
can be used to administer a MySQL database. Using these tools would be
similar to administering our traditional DB2 database with the STRSQL
command.
However, every MySQL installation I've worked with uses a tool called
'phpmyadmin' which is a really nice web interface (written in PHP) for
configuration and administration of mysql. That's the interface I
always use -- and it's really powerful and easy to use. (More so than
the GUI in iSeries Navigator, IMHO)
But, again... that human interface is the same thing it's always been.
The exciting part of the DB2 storage engine is that your existing tools
(such as PHP applications) can use the IBM DB2 databases. So I can
download SugarCRM or MediaWIKI and run them on the i, and without
changing the code at all, they can use DB2 databases. Since they're
regular DB2 databases, I can also write code that works with them using
RPG or RUNSQLSTM or any other IBM-based tool (Which I can't do with
MySQL today, since the underlying technology isn't DB2, I Can't use
RPG's native DB2 support -- if I want to get to a MySQL database from
RPG, I have to use a JDBC driver)
Bryan Dietz wrote:
From this page:
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/i/software/mysql/index.html
there is this blurb:
<snip>
Integrating MySQL Applications with DB2 on i5/OS
IBM and MySQL AB are planning to deliver a DB2 storage engine for MySQL
on i5/OS. With a DB2 for i storage engine, the applications written to
MySQL will run on i5/OS and the data will be stored in DB2. This will
allow you to implement online and transactional MySQL applications while
storing all data in a single, easy-to-manage DB2 database.
</snip>
I seem to recall that it was to be available sometime this past August.
I have been watching the PTF's and there have been some related to
"Administration changes" for both v5r4 and v6.1.
Now last Friday I found:
SI33261/SI33264 OSP-DB-UNPRED Storage engine support.
This PTF delivers a service program called QMYRSE.
the exports include "QmyOpen".
I am very interested in how they will be implementing the "human" interface.
Bryan Dietz
midrange.com
