Oracle has introduced a new migration tool that aims to make it easier for users to migrate data from SQL Server to MySQL. The new migration tool is integrated into MySQL Workbench, which allows the visual design, development and administration of MySQL Databases. According to Oracle, with MySQL Workbench, SQL Server developers and DBAs can easily convert existing applications to run on MySQL, both on Windows and other platforms. In addition, to address the growing demand from business analysts using MySQL for data marts and analytic applications, Oracle has announced a new "MySQL for Excel" application plug-in that allows users to import, export and manipulate MySQL data, without requiring prior MySQL technical knowledge.
Oracle has also introduced a new MySQL Installer for Windows that helps users through the setup of advanced security and logging features; and a new MySQL Notifier application for Windows allows users to easily monitor and manage MySQL instances. The enhanced MySQL installer provides point-and-click configuration of new MySQL database instances, as well as advanced logging and security features; and new MySQL Notifier application for Windows helps developers and DBAs to easily monitor, start and stop their MySQL database instances, with the Microsoft SQL Server look and feel.
The new tools are part of an ongoing effort to make Windows a first-class platform for the MySQL server, Tomas Ulin, vice president of MySQL Engineering, Oracle, tells 5 Minute Briefing. MySQL has always been a strong database presence on Linux because of the LAMP stack, but while there have also been a lot of downloads on the Microsoft platform for many years, the company was seeing fewer deployments on Windows than on the Linux side, Ulin notes. As a result, he says, Oracle has been successively adding enhancements to make MySQL easier to use and easier to move to – such as improving performance on the Windows platform, and smoothing the install experience by enabling users to obtain all the different components they need in one download.
“These announcements are the next steps,” says Ulin. “This is one of many things you will see coming out around the Windows platform. We are successively improving it and making it easier for the users, and making the user experience better on the Windows platform" And, at MySQL Connect which is 2 days before Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco, there will be ample opportunities to learn more about the MySQL Migration toolkit and other enhancements around Windows, Ulin adds.
The new tools are available for download now. The latest MySQL release MySQL 5.6, currently available as a Development Milestone Release, additionally delivers numerous improvements for Windows.