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Review/support scope of MySQL server infrastructure

Many systems are already in production when we get asked to take a look or, interestingly, a few weeks before deployment. The latter is not optimal, but it’s still better than not contacting us until something goes wrong. At Open Query we like to focus on problem prevention and skills transfer. This saves so many hassles and thus over time saves money for the client = win.

The reasons for asking for external input late(r) are diverse, and generally not even technical or financial. But we all know the saying “prevention is better than a cure” and that has benefits for a company’s bottom line; potentially even its future. Particularly in the current economic climate, such advantages are gold.

Another other important aspect is scope. MySQL operates in a larger architecture; we can look at the server and improve the configuration there, but if queries are just wrong, they need to be fixed in the application. That’s a very simple example, but there are many more subtle aspects. Just exploring parts of the overall architecture as if they were islands will generally still yield some benefits, but is by no means optimal.

Open Query’s support subscription service has no limitation in terms of # of servers or for certain configurations (replication, clustering, etc); and anything somewhat connected to MySQL is fine. Of course that makes for a wide range of tools/products and we don’t pretend to know everything about each; but many issues are similar, patterns become apparent and so problems can be caught and addressed even in a seemingly unfamiliar environment.

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