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bridge was constructed between the existing Apple user community and open source when OS X was released. It has not only helped migrate traditional Mac users to OS X, but also has generated a Switcher group of developers accustomed to working either from a UNIX variant or Windows-based workstation.
MySQL has clearly become one of the central benchmarks for open source software that has crossed the bridge from exploratory to serious corporate player. During that time period not only has an entire cottage industry of MySQL related tools and services emerged — but several top tier commercial database providers have open sourced solutions. The latter very likely occurred as companies seek to “catch the wave” as open architecture becomes a watermark for project planning in many organizations.
Watch any Web forum related to MySQL and ultimately the discussion shifts to just what the best path to database management is. This becomes an even more critical conversation in production environments with multiple servers and considerations of backup, performance and business continuity.
Introduction to Navicat 2004
A first look at Navicat comes from an alternative need for offline or localhost access to tools as well as Internet-connected administration. This would rule out some powerful but pure browser-based alternative solutions. Second, users working from multiple platforms have the need for a tool that would span Linux, Macintosh, and Windows systems. Finally, when some of the production management involved servers holding sensitive data — the need for an optional secure connection is evident.
If you come from a command line background, the obvious alternative here is the traditional MySQL client run in a Terminal over an SSH connection. However, if there is also a need for high productivity, automation and open-ended import and export capabilities — this leads on a circuitous road back to Navicat where a majority of requirements can be met.
Closing a Management Gap
Navicat was founded in 2001, and according to company officials, central in their mission was to fill a void in commercial management tools for open source.
The group jumped in with both feet, releasing the first iteration of the MySQL administration tool in January 2002. The company follows a refresh cycle of 90-120 days for incremental releases (i.e. 6.0 to 6.1) and every 12 to 18 months for major release revisions (6.0 to 7.0).
Key Functions for Administration
Central to the database administrator is control, recovery and performance measurement. Navicat affords all of these responsibilities through a single interface.
In getting started, multiple connections to local and remote databases can be configured and accessed within the primary application window in Finder-style, cascading open to databases, then tables and ultimately data.
