A year of switching RDBMS platforms from Db2 to MySQL
About 18 months ago, I decided that it was time to look for my next job. I had only been at my employer at the time for about 2 years, and had helped them through a couple of tough things…
Comparing Db2 and MySQL: Generating Values
I’m going to walk through the basic creation of auto-incrementing integer columns in MySQL and Db2 and point out some differences and similarities. Functionality Every relational database I have worked with has had a functionality for generating column values. The…
Choosing the BEST RDBMS
When I started working as a DBA in 2001, the relational database management system choices were more limited and the choice itself was often left up to a system architect. Rarely did developers have a say, and even DBAs only…
MySQL’s “partial” Group By
This is one area that was not a surprise to me coming from Db2 to MySQL, as I’ve had to deal with people confused in the other direction for years. Essentially, MySQL allows a syntax for GROUP BY that Db2…
Using ChatGPT to Write SQL
Working in technology, I’ve heard a number of things about ChatGPT from various news sources. I was particularly interested hearing some teachers saying it was the end of being able to properly detect students cheating when writing papers. Then I…
Introducing: Roll for Database!
Alright, so I’m playing around with something. I’ve developed a bit of a TikTok addiction after exploring the platform to connect with my 14-year-old. One of the post types I’ve enjoyed is the “Roll for ______” type, where the content…
Comparing Db2 and MySQL: Naming Objects and Reserved Words
Every RDBMS has areas where the differences from other RDBMSes are noticeable, and this is one of them between Db2 and MySQL. Most RDBMSes have quirks to the way SQL is written, and this is certainly true of Db2 where…
Db2 Basics: Getting Data Out of Db2
One of the things that learning a new platform (MySQL) has taught me is just how critical the most basic topics are, so I thought I’d do an overview of how to get data out of a Db2 (on Linux,…
Comparing Db2 and MySQL: Explain
The goal of this article is to to take one query and use the explain facilities of Db2 to walk through it, and then do the same with MySQL, and then show some of the optimizations I might make for…
Comparing Db2 and MySQL: NULL in Indexes
I’ve been spending some time working with indexes as I learn MySQL, and there were a few things I thought were were worth mentioning. As always, I’m writing from my own knowledge with deep experience in IBM DB2, and as…
Comparing MySQL and Db2: Table and Index Structure
I’ve spent some time understanding how MySQL structures tables and indexes, and wanted to share what I’ve learned. This is not the structure as created in the CREATE TABLE or CREATE INDEX statements, but how that data is generally structured…
The Most Shocking Differences I’ve Seen Between Db2 and MySQL (so far)
As I’ve been learning the details of MySQL, there have been a lot of similarities with Db2, and a number of differences. Some of those differences have been things I was expecting, while others have been a bit more shocking.…