MySQL and IOUG 

MySQL Council News

2012-2013 Council Has Been Selected!As a member of the MySQL Community, you already know how important it is to have the ability to advocate the needs of users and to share feedback on how to keep growing the function and performance of the database. The IOUG is committed to supporting the MySQL community and maintaining the MySQL database, and we are pleased to announce the members 2012-2013 MySQL Council!

Candidates were able to self-nominate through an open call, and were reviewed by the current Council.

What is the role of the MySQL Council

The MySQL Council will be composed of several members representing a mix of the industries and businesses present within the community. The purpose of the Council is to provide feedback and recommendations to IOUG and Oracle on the best educational offerings, community-building and networking practices, and trending information for the MySQL community.

Additionally, the Council will be given the opportunity through IOUG to work with Oracle to provide a direct advocacy channel for user feedback, and to discuss the strategy for the MySQL database. The Council is not meant to replace the grassroots organizations that exist; in fact, this council is meant to help enhance communications.

Responsibilities

As a Council member, you would be asked to commit to participating in bi-monthly meetings, either by phone or face-to-face. We will also ask for your support in reaching out to the MySQL community members to promote speaking and volunteering opportunities. A Council term is one calendar year (Jan-Dec. 2012). 

Participation Benefits

Council members in good standing will receive a complimentary one-year individual membership to IOUG, as well as the opportunity to receive discounted event registration for different opportunities throughout the year. 

Talk to a Council Member

Reach the Council via Twitter @ioug _mysql

Previous Updates

MySQL Council Addresses Closing of Public Bug Database
March 7, 2011 - The MySQL Council members have been discussing the decision by Oracle, to reduce the importance of the public MySQL bug database for providing input and direction of product updates and direction. The Council would also like to work with Oracle to promote communication around the status of the database access to the broader community so members will understand what to expect moving forward.

Without communication around the use and changes relating to the public bug database, there have been concerns in the community raised about duplicate bug tracking, bug numbers in commits not being visible to the public, difficulty in offering patches into the MySQL server, and the generalized decreased transparency in the evolution and remediation of the MySQL server and associated products.

The IOUG (Independent Oracle User Group) is supporting the MySQL Council in its efforts to raise questions and query direction from Oracle. The MySQL Council will be meeting with Oracle stakeholders to discuss options for keeping appropriate portions of the database active as well as communicating status and future actions to the broader community.

IOUG Announces Formation of New Council of Key MySQL Thought Leaders - Independent Oracle Users Group creates a new advisory group to serve its MySQL customers 
January 13, 2011 – The Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), a community of more than 20,000 international database and technology professionals representing large, medium and small businesses , government agencies and educational institutions, today announced the formation of the MySQL Council. Leveraging IOUG's prominent voice and longstanding relationship with Oracle, the council was formed to address the interests and needs of the broader community of MySQL users serving IOUG constituencies. 

The MySQL Council includes several leaders and recognized subject matter experts from the MySQL user community. They include:

• Sarah Novotny, Blue Gecko, Council Chairperson
• Sheeri Cabral, PalominoDB
• Bradley Kuszmaul, Tokutek
• Giuseppe Maxia, Continuent
• Rob Wultsch, GoDaddy.com
• Matt Yonkovit, Percona

"We are pleased to welcome these MySQL evangelists and volunteer leaders to IOUG . Their passion, independent perspectives, experience and collective knowledge of MySQL will provide a solid framework for us to support our members and those interested in the MySQL evolution,” said Andy Flower, IOUG President. “Their collective expert user perspective, insight and counsel will be leveraged as a respected voice of the MySQL community into Oracle. In addition, the IOUG looks forward to providing education and proven best practices to the IOUG membership and Oracle customer community along with presenting unbiased viewpoints on MySQL trends and data.” 

According to Council Chair Sarah Novotny, those selected as MySQL Council members were similarly enthusiastic about the group's formation. “We are excited to be part of IOUG 's community, and look forward to working together to serve MySQL users across the globe,” Novotny said. “MySQL users are a passionate, committed group of professionals with a host of knowledge to share. IOUG 's reputation, expansive community and relationship with Oracle should all prove beneficial to advancing our collective cause.” 

Initial areas of focus for the MySQL Council will include providing technical articles for the peer-reviewed SELECT Journal, facilitating the development of online education as well as supporting COLLABORATE 11 ( http://collaborate11.ioug.org/mysql ), the premier annual Oracle user group conference taking place April 10-14 in Orlando , FL. This user-driven event will present hundreds of technical sessions covering all aspects of the Oracle technology environment, including a deep focus on MySQL with content and presentations driven by several members of the council.