MySQL is the leading open-source database platform, and its popularity has grown with the widespread adoption of PHP for interactive web applications. With version 4, MySQL has added many new features and shown itself to be ready for widespread use. Mastering MySQL is a comprehensive guide to this new version, for both developers and administrators who want to get the most out of MySQL. It provides thorough coverage of SQL, both for the beginner and advanced user, as well as database design and normalization--topics often ignored in much database development. Readers will learn how to configure and optimize MySQL for high-volume usage and get the most out of the various transactional and non-transactional table types. Readers also get full coverage of common database tasks, including backup, maintenance, and replication. There is also a chapter on database security issues, a section on programming with MySQL, and references for most popular programming languages, including PHP, Perl, Java, Python and C/C++. Author Ian Gilfillan is lead developer for South Africa's premier news portal, has developed and taught web and database programming courses, and has written technical articles on MySQL.