Chapter 29. Managing Databases

IN THIS CHAPTER

• What Is a Relational Database?

• Implementing MySQL

• Connecting to a MySQL Database with a Database Client

• Optimizing MySQL

In this chapter, we look at database creation and client access with SUSE Linux. Databases can be considered digital phonebooks when there is a need for highly organized storage of a massive amount of information, a database is called for. There are very special requirements associated with databases; therefore, it shouldn't seem strange that it takes special software to create a storage system that is highly organized by items such as fields, records, and tables. Databases (if optimized and running properly) can store massive amounts of data, such as logging information for a web server. The blending of Apache web server software, the PHP scripting language, and the MySQL database engine is basically what fuels most of today's website development. PHP will be covered in Chapter 31, "Creating Dynamic Websites."

This chapter is only an introduction to these two technologies. Entire publications have been dedicated to the topic of building databases, especially with MySQL, one of today's hottest web-based database technologies in use.

Your operating system comes with an open-source database that is very popular with today's web development teams MySQL. This chapter covers the installation and configuration of MySQL as well as how to access a MySQL database with a client.