From what I remember when I had a quick look at it a while back mSQL is really designed as a lightweight database engine with low system overheads, designed for fast retrieval of small amounts of data. It doesn't offer full functionality and only supports a subset of ANSI SQL.
The 'Big Databases' are really designed for complex applications run in a multi user environment where system availability/data integrity and high performance are vital, hence the high price tags.
For things like driving dynamic web sites (especially when they are of a non transactional nature) and running desktop applications things like mSQL and MySQL are fine.
If you want to run your company's financial system for 1000 users 24 hours a day, you will need one of the big boys.
MySQL is Open Source, while Oracle, Sybase, DB2, SqlServer are not. Coding
MySQL does conform to ANSI Entry level SQL92. ODBC levels 0-3.51.
However, I feel MySQL lacks some major features that other database vendors currently support:
* does not support Sub-selects
* does not support views (planned for next release)
* does not support Foreign keys, including cascading delete (version 4.1 maybe)
* does not support stored procedures & triggers-- lacks an internal procedural language
* does not support cursors ( maybe in version 4.1 or 4.2 )
* does not support * MINUS, INTERSECT and FULL OUTER JOIN.
* does not support-- Character set casts and syntax for handling multiple character sets. (hoped for in version 4.1)
* does not have * true VARCHAR support (There is already support for this in MyISAM , planned for version 4.1)
I liked on comment in their manual:
things to add: * Oracle like CONNECT BY PRIOR ... to search hierarchy structures. *
The 'Big Databases' are really designed for complex applications run in a multi user environment where system availability/data integrity and high performance are vital, hence the high price tags.
For things like driving dynamic web sites (especially when they are of a non transactional nature) and running desktop applications things like mSQL and MySQL are fine.
If you want to run your company's financial system for 1000 users 24 hours a day, you will need one of the big boys.
Carl