MySQL gets cosy with Microsoft

MySQL, the open source database firm, is to receive Microsoft marketing support along with Visual Studio technical integration.

The company has paid $3,000 to become a member of Microsoft's Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program in a move that will help cement the database's use on Windows. MySQL joins more than 240 other ISVs also working with Microsoft.

MySQL says 40 per cent of its downloads are for Windows, and VSIP membership will provide greater integration between the database and Microsoft's development environment. Using a plug-in, developers will be able to build forms and objects inside Visual Studio with Microsoft languages lsuch as C# and Visual Basic, browse data and records, and perform basic data management.

VSIP also gives MySQL access to co-marketing opportunities, which include the right to sport the "Optimized for Microsoft Visual Studio" logo on product boxes and its website, eligibility for inclusion in partner promotions at Microsoft developer events, and the ability to participate in VSIP developer labs.

Membership is handy for both companies. For Microsoft, it means developers using Windows with MySQL continue using its tools and don't drift off into alternatives. It should also ensure companies who need a low-cost database don't investigate products from Oracle and - as a result - ultimately adopt Linux over Windows, according to MySQL.

"Unlike Oracle, we don't have a platform agenda. Oracle tries to get people to run from Windows to Linux," MySQL executive vice president of products Zack Urlocker told The Register. "Microsoft is ultimately a very pragmatic company and their customers are asking them to resolve their issues and support their customers."

For MySQL, VSIP means greater exposure to developers in the Microsoft user base. Integration reduces the need for developers to switch between different environments, and takes the pressure off MySQL to build its own IDE or forge lots of different IDE partnerships.

Looking ahead, MySQL is investigating integration beyond Visual Studio, including integration with Microsoft's Operations Manager (MOM). ®