4 Things Every Business Analyst Should Know About MySQL

In the 21st century, big data rules the world. Ever since people learned to harness, organize, and analyze large chunks of data, it has deeply integrated into literally every business field. As a result, organizations across all industry verticals are now using big data to make smarter business decisions, streamline their operations, gain higher profits, and make their customers happy. And all these are the merits of business analysts.

If you are a business analyst yourself or even a student hoping to enter the world of big data one day, you’ve landed on the right page. Delegate your assignments to professional essay writers to free up some time without risking your academic performance, and take time to discover one of the most recognizable big data tools these days – MySQL. In this article, we are going to tell you what it is and what you need to know about it.

What Is MySQL?

To start understanding MySQL, you need to know the definition first. So, let’s take it from there. MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBM). The database is based on structured query language (SQL) and was developed by Oracle and released in 1994.

Being around for over 20 years already, MySQL has long been recognized as one of the most reliable and trusted database management systems out there. So, if you are dealing with big data, you have to know about this tool.

What can it help you do? As you should know, a database is a collection of data structured and organized in a proper way. An RDBM (which is MySQL in a nutshell) is basically a set of software tools designed to help analysts create and manage all sorts of databases.

Top 4 Things to Know to Understand MySQL

MySQL has long earned a reputation as a stable and feature-rich tool. Due to its huge popularity among business analysts in all industries, it is worth noting that working in this field requires you to at least understand this tool.

Here are a few basic things you need to know to start understanding MySQL.

It Is Relational

As was mentioned in the definition of MySQL earlier, this tool is an RDBM, which stands for a relational database management system, and this is the first thing you need to know about it. It means that all databases you will create with its help will also be relational.

In case you are not sure what it means, the primary distinctive feature of relational databases lies in the way they are organized. This type of database stores records in separate, multiple, and highly codified tables. Such structure makes it easier to perform a variety of actions, including updating information, data retrieval, aggregations, etc.

This method of organizing databases is popular due to several reasons. First of all, they feature intuitive programming languages that look similar to traditional written English, making it easy to comprehend and navigate even for inexperienced users. Due to this reason, relational databases enable you to save plenty of time and other resources.

It Is Open-Source

Another important thing to know before you start using MySQL is that it is open-source. It means that the tool’s codebase is available in public access. That is, anyone can freely use this software, as well as freely publish, modify, or expand its codebase.

What does this mean for organizations and business analysts, in particular? Well, open-source software like this one typically has enriched documentation and a large community that strengthens the online support culture. It gives users more flexibility. Also, the fact that users can modify the codebase themselves ensures that the new updates in MySQL always match the current needs of its users.

It Is Extremely Compatible

One of the biggest benefits of MySQL is its wide compatibility. The software was designed to give users the possibility to combine it with a wide range of other architectures and technologies. And this is another thing you need to know about it.

So, what does this mean in practice? The high compatibility of MySQL gives business analysts and other users more flexibility and freedom in the way it can be used. The software can run on all common computing platforms.

Apart from that, it also supports a variety of programming interfaces and backends. This fact allows simple data migration from MySQL to other RDBMSs and the forks of MySQL (for example, MariaDB).

Finally, one more thing you need to know about this tool’s compatibility is that it allows quick and simple data migration from and to various storage systems. It enables users to save plenty of time and effort on moving data across different tools.

It Is Easy to Use

Finally, one more thing business analysts need to know about MySQL is that it is extremely easy to use. No matter how complex or restrictive it may seem at first glance, this RDBM is actually considered one of the most flexible and intuitive ones out there.

MySQL, in fact, supports a whole bunch of actions. It also gives you the possibility to use various data structures, including numeric, logical, date, alphanumeric, and other types. And, thanks to intuitive programming languages, every user can easily model and codify data in the way they want.

To Sum Up

So, these are the four key things everyone needs to know about MySQL to understand and start using this tool. Use this knowledge to get on the right track with it.