The MySQL Devil

• We needed a database mostly to store accounting records - so we did not need any special features - only that it will be light-weight and fast.
• Since MySQL has these two features - we went for it. It was also easier to set up then Postgres and came by default with our Linux distribution.
• The database layer was limited to a small part of the software (the accounting process) - so replacing the database would have been rather easy, should the need arise.
• From the management GUI we accessed the database via ODBC - which meant the code was database-neutral. Replacing the ODBC driver would suffice to work with a different database.

Originally written by guy keren