Does Microsoft have a free version of MySQL?

[Hodgey8806]

I am wanting to gain experience with SQL without buying a license. I am planning to buy a program that shows you how to create databases as well as write code for them. However, this program requires that I have an SQL setup to use.

I saw that Microsoft has a MySQL download but I'm not sure it is what I need for the program specifically...I just need to be able to access a way to write codes and try it out.

Any help would be great!

Thank you :)

 

[DavidSnider]

Microsoft makes SQL Server not MySQL. SQL Express is the free version of Microsoft SQL Server.

 

[StevieTNZ]

I've used Visual Studio 2010 Express in my web design course, which involved SQL code. You can download that for free from Microsoft.

 

[John Creighto]

Some thoughts. Here are some free versions of SQL

MySQL
- is popular for PHP programmed websites
- there is a version of PHP which runs inside of java
SQL light
- is integrated into the android office system
HyperSQL
- is used in open office applications.
- allows you to program database triggers
- is programmed in java

This is just some facts off the top of my head. Google is your friend.

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On another note, with regards to programming, a lot of these systems will have common functionality. If you are wring a program, you can write an interface and adapt it to each type of SQL. This will make your code easier to port from one type of database to another. One especially powerfully way to do this is to construct queries pragmatically. This is especially easy to do if the language supports lambda expressions:
http://geekswithblogs.net/samerpaul...standing-of-lambda-expressions-in-c-linq.aspx

 

[jtbell]

mysql.com has the freely downloadable MySQL Community Server:

http://www.mysql.com/downloads/

That page has a prominent link to a "MySQL Installer for Windows." I can't try it because I'm on a Mac.

On a Mac, MySQL installs via the standard MacOS clickable package mechanism, and you can run SQL commands via the basic command-line interface by invoking the 'mysql' command at the command line in a MacOS Terminal window. I imagine there's something similar for a basic Windows setup.

 

[Adyssa]

There are different ways to interface with the database manager, it depends on how you plan to use MySQL. The easiest way is, as jtbell mentioned, to run MySQL from the command line - this works in Windows too. If your program is teaching MySQL specifically, I'm sure it will spell this out for you.

Otherwise, you can write programs (Java, .NET, etc) to interface with your database. Or you could run a web server and create a web page to handle it. You can install a complete Apache, MySQL, PHP stack without too much fuss.