Hi, Rod,

Thanks for the URL. I've kept an eye on MySQL over the last six months, and hope that someday I might be able to use it as a 'low-cost' alternative.

At this time, the chart comparing programming interfaces says it all. My own two cents is that I can't imagine using a back-end database that didn't support triggers, SPs, UDFs, and native transaction support. Good support for subqueries/scalar subqueries is also important. The last couple of MS SQL projects I did had requirements where those capabilities were very important.

I realize it's easy to sit back and say this, but I'm puzzled why the product went this long without these things. I know that 5.0 is coming soon, and maybe some of those capabilities will appear.

Because of advice of some well-respected people in this industry, I'm going to keep my eye on MySQL. There does seem to be some positive energy associated with this product. But for now, I view it as a 'not ready for prime time player'.

Kevin