What’s New in MySQL 5.7.9?

MySQL 5.7.9, released by Oracle Corporation in October 2015, has several interesting features designed to provide users with the ability to create high-availability, stable, scalable database environments.

 
One of these new features is replication, which helps users develop a high-availability database. Several different replication topologies are possible within MySQL. These include single master-slave replication and master-master replication. Multi-source replication, which provides several different types of read-write distributions, is included with MySQL 5.7.9.

The newest release supports single master to multiple slaves replication; chained replication; and multi-layer replication. Multi-source replication is also supported. This includes replication from two different masters or multiple masters to a single server. We discuss this in more detail here.

Read our latest white paper Leveraging MySQL Features for Availability and Scalability where we examine the benefits of using MySQL, how to optimize it for high availability, how to configure it for scalability, and how to use diagnostic tools for measuring database performance.

JSON support is another key, new feature. This was added, according to the MySQL Server Team, to allow users to “combine the flexibility of NoSQL with the strength of a relational database.” Users can now store, retrieve, and search JSON data. JSON functions can now be used on the server side with the addition of features that allow users to drill in and manipulate JSON data. You can also now use JSON path expressions within SQL queries.

Several improvements have been made to virtual columns. These fix several bugs, allowing the feature to function as community members originally intended. Within the undo log in the prior release, users found “ insufficient information about virtual columns and virtual column indexes, which could cause a server exit when adding or dropping virtual columns,” according to the new release notes.

Features in the Optimizer—specifically refactoring—have been improved. Several user-requested features have been added, including plugins that allow users to write their own custom query rewrite plugins. Users can thus deftly handle problem queries, such as those originating from an external tool or third-party application. Many other features examine cost-model issues or improve operations. For example, a new optimization for the sort buffer returns better query performance.

The changes to the optimizer and accelerated connection handling enable this version of MySQL to return 1.6 million queries per second, making it much, much faster than previous versions. It is three times faster than MySQL 5.6, according to the MySQL Server Team benchmarks.

Several bug fixes in this release are important to note. These include changes in partitioning and replication, many of which are related to how InnoDB works; however, the latter is a work in progress. The community continues to work on scalability, accelerating flushing and purging, and faster bulk data loads, according to the team.

Numerous resources are available for those new to MySQL as well as existing users. This includes our white paper exploring the primary benefits related to using MySQL. In this paper, you will learn how to optimize MySQL for high availability, how to configure it for scalability, and how to use the performance analysis tools included with it.

If you are using a previous version of MySQL, such as 5.6, and are interested in migrating to the newest generally available edition—5.7.9—Datavail can help.

Contact Datavail to discuss a custom MySQL solution designed for your enterprise. Find more solutions to common and advanced MySQL questions as well as many other database administration-related questions on our frequently updated blog.