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Glossary: MySQL

What is MySQL?

An open source (free) database running on Linux. A database allows you to store data that can be called upon using PHP or other server-side scripting languages. This data could be customer information such as addresses or information that would relate to an element displayed within the web site. A MySQL database may contain data that would dictate what is displayed in a web browser according to conditions set out by the server-side programming language. For example, a table row may contain data for a customer name. All customer names are stored in the database. Working from a database means you can control what is shown on your site without having to edit each individual HTML file/page.