The MySQL database is probably the leading open-source database engine in the United States while highly popular in Europe where it receives most of its direct competition with PostgreSQL.
Despite this popularity level and the enthusiastic support it receives from the development community, it does have its drawbacks, mostly with its confusing, syntactical idiosyncrasies for those coming from a SQL Server environment. Minor syntax issues with stored procedure parameters, variable declarations, and the like tend to cause the uninitiated all sorts of headaches that could cause one to abandon this database’s use. Though the documentation offered is quite extensive, it could do better in providing in-depth examples of how to do certain things that would allow new users to avoid the pitfalls of finding rather minor differences in what they may be used to doing.
Nonetheless, some of the database’s faults lie with the ongoing improvements that have been made to it in the preceding years. Now in version 5.7, MySQL promotes one of the crown jewels of the open-source community with its extensive feature set and performance capabilities.
As a result, Black Falcon Software is proud to release back to the open-source community its latest version of its MySQL Helper component, MySQL Helper 4.5.
Like its SQL Server counterpart, this updated version has been rewritten with cleaner code, fixed a number of issues with original test-client processes, provided a new test-client interface, and a smoother ADO.NET transaction process allowing for a single-point of processing and failure. This new release also comes with an updated Help file. Please also note that like all the other 4.5 data-access-layer versions from Black Falcon Software, source-code is only provided in VB.NET. However, notes are provided that will explain the best way to convert the code to C#.
Included as well are the MySQL 5.7 reference manual as well as the MySQL .NET Connector 6.9.4 as well as its corresponding reference manual.
Though developers may be aware of a later version of the connector, installation has been shown to have issues causing the install to fail. A number of developers attempting to install the later version have commented in the MySQL forums, noting the install issue, which was found also in earlier versions of this software. Black Falcon Software found the 6.9.4 version of the software to be quite stable and has decided to remain with it. However, given the similarities in the software’s API, installing the latest version should provide no issues.
Black Falcon Software hopes everyone who downloads this software will enjoy it and find it a valuable addition to their tool-kits.
If any issues are found while processing calls to your MySQL databases, please contact Black Falcon Software using the “Contact” form on the web-site (http://www.blackfalconsoftware.com).
