MSSQL or MySQL? Clearing Up the Name Mix-Up

Years ago a friend searched for an MSSQL client, and the search engine kindly suggested a MySQL client instead. MSSQL or MySQL is still one of the most common mix-ups I see, so here’s a short, friendly guide to telling them apart.

Who Makes Each One

MSSQL is the nickname people use for Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft builds it, sells it, and gives away a free Express edition and a free Developer edition for learning and testing.

MySQL is an open source database. It was created by the Swedish company MySQL AB, bought by Sun Microsystems in 2008, and came to Oracle when Oracle bought Sun in 2010. MariaDB is a fork of MySQL started by some of its original developers. All of them speak SQL, with their own accents.

The Same Question in Both

Here is the same request, the first five customers by name, in each accent:

-- SQL Server (T-SQL)
SELECT TOP (5) CustomerName
FROM dbo.Customer
ORDER BY CustomerName;

-- MySQL
SELECT CustomerName
FROM Customer
ORDER BY CustomerName
LIMIT 5;

A few more differences show up every week. SQL Server uses IDENTITY for auto numbers, MySQL uses AUTO_INCREMENT. SQL Server wraps odd names in square brackets, MySQL uses backticks. The current time is GETDATE() in SQL Server and NOW() in MySQL. The default ports are 1433 and 3306.

Where the MSSQL or MySQL Confusion Costs Time

The most common cost is copying an answer written for the other product. The syntax looks close enough to try, and then an error message sends you down the wrong path. Always check which product an answer was written for before you paste it.

Job posts mix them up too, and so do tool downloads. SQL Server Management Studio talks to SQL Server. MySQL Workbench talks to MySQL. Installing the wrong one teaches you patience and very little else.

Where You Meet Each One

In my consulting work, companies that run Windows servers and .NET applications almost always run SQL Server. Web sites built with PHP on shared hosting almost always run MySQL. WordPress, which runs this very blog, stores its posts in MySQL or MariaDB. So yes, SQLAuthority itself lives on the other database, and I find that funny every time I think about it.

A Quick Test: MSSQL or MySQL

If you are connected to something and not sure what it is, this one line works in both products:

SELECT @@VERSION;

SQL Server answers with a long line that starts with Microsoft SQL Server and the version. MySQL answers with a short version number such as 8.0 followed by more digits. Mystery solved in one query.

Related reading on this blog: Common Mistakes to Avoid for DBAs Working with MySQL Databases and Learn MySQL : Path to Data Management Excellence.

One letter apart in the name, a whole different family in the code. Check which one you are talking to before you ask for help.

MSSQL and MySQL are not typos of each other, they’re two different databases that both speak SQL.

Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.