MySQL and IOUG

It is great being involved in the IOUG because it is a perfect place to be able to learn about new things. You can find out through webcasts, face to face seminars, white papers and conference how other users are using the technology and solving business issues and problems.
I enjoy venturing out and learning about other technology. Recently I started to take a closer look at ApEx which has helped in several ways. It is also fun for a DBA to dabble in development too. MySQL is another area.
Yesterday in Chicago, IOUG had a seminar on MySQL. It provided great information about some typical problem areas and how to resolve some performance issues. There were a couple of suggestions around logs and parameter settings which I was actually dealing with last week, but now have better solutions for.
The other thing that was mentioned and discussed was what some of the platforms would be used for. Oracle has it's place as an Enterprise database solution, MySQL provides some good coverage in the web space and has different engines for different usages. Also with the new releases there are more features being built in to expand its usages.
So, I am going to be learning more. October I'm attending OpenSQL Camp, http://opensqlcamp.org/Main_Page, and look forward to learning from others how the open source databases are being used and what is being developed in these areas.
Also Collaborate 2011 - IOUG Forum is going to have content on MySQL. Besides the features or options, such as replication, clustering with MySQL, there will be sessions to discuss how MySQL and Oracle work together in an environment. Now that is something more I understand. Being able to take different database platforms and use them in ways to meet business needs instead of throwing the same hammer at each need. It is definitely nice to have several tools to be able to work with to provide better solutions.