MariaDB is launching MariaDB Server 10.3.5, adding temporal data processing, Oracle compatibility features, and other improvements in its next candidate release. The announcement was first made during the MariaDB M|18 conference in New York.
The temporal data processing feature is the headline improvement of this release due to the addition of system-versioned tables which store the history of all change. This allows data analysis for any point in time, auditing of changes, and comparison of data from different points in time.
According to MariaDB, improvements to database compatibility essentially add Oracle-related features, and start with PL/SQL Compatibility for MariaDB Stored Functions.
Users can now utilize a subset of Oracle PL/SQL instead of the traditional MariaDB syntax for stored routines. Users can also now make use of "Oracle-style" packages for stored functions to group together logically related stored functions, variables, cursors or subprograms, the company says.
Other improvements on compatibility include a new option for CURSOR in stored routines so the cursor can have parameters used by the associated query.
There are also new data types for stored routines - users can use a ROW data type, TYPE OF, and ROW TYPE OF. Other compatibility related improvements include the ability to generate primary keys by sequences rather than using auto increment; and the addition of invisible columns.
Additionally, the partitioning storage engine has been updated to the newest release of the Spider Storage engine to support new Spider features including direct join support, direct update and delete, and direct aggregates.
For more information about this update, visit www.mariadb.com.