In the beginning was the MySQL command line and it was good. Verbose yes, error prone yes, and even tedious. But it was good. The UPDATE USER set SELECT_PRIV=’Y’, DROP_PRIV_’Y”, UPDATE_PRIV=’Y’,……,LAST_BLOODY_PRIV=’Y”; type errors have caught of us old timers. But it was still good.
Then came some GUI tools that were okay. Not great but they had their uses.
And then came MySQL Workbench. And it was very good.
Now there is MySQL Workbench 6.2 and it is excellent. It came out in Beta last week and has built on the proven success of its predecessors. All the usual stuff is there – Server Status, Users & Privileges, Startup/Shutdown, logs, Dashboard, Performance Reports and more. But there area whole bunch of subtle little tweaks that make it easier to use.
For instance, the VISUAL EXPLAIN allows toggling between the visual display and the tabular display. Plus you can now get query stats like the number of rows processed, joins per table, sorting information, and even how many temporary tables were created. And it is easier to toggle between the explain panel and the results grid.
Now that I am back from Europe, I will write a little more on this in the following days.
CakePHP’s new ORM
I attended Cakefest in Madrid to hear about the latest in CakePHP. Version 3.0 is almost ready to launch and has many new features that will help speed its adoption. Chief among them is a new ORM’s query builder that is well designed, intuitive, and easy to use. Under the covers is PDO prepared statements to help protect against SQL injection.
Most Object Relational Modelers remind me of a juggler balanced on a large ball while simultaneously swinging a Hulla-hoop around his middle while trying to order coffee in a crowded Starbucks. Too much action for something that can be done much simpler. Object Oriented programmers want everything as an object but the rigors most ORMs demand if much more complicated than writing good SQL in the first place.
The new CakePHP ORM is based on a data mapper pattern and easily interfaces with MySQL, Postgres and SQLserver. The query builder is designed to take advantage of MySQL 5.6 features like improved sub queries. They hope soon to offer Oracle database support. The design is light, easy to read, and can take advantage of sub queries. My preference is still for well written SQL but this query builder is not bad. I am sure it will catch the attention of those who fight other ORMs in their projects.
Next years is CakePHP’s fifteenth anniversary and their spirited crew is doing great things. If you have not investigated them in a while, you really need to spend some time with their new 3.0.
Oklahoma MySQL Meetup
And I will be heading up I35 to talk to the OKC MySQL Meetup tomorrow. Hope to see you if you are in the area!
Posted by Stoker 
Open Source DBA's Blog 