How to manage MySQL database in Azure?

What are the best practicing in implement a queuing database?

• Hello, I am looking into create a database that does the following: - Accepts data, such as a questions for a support system - (Somehow) funnels the pushed data into a processing queue - (Somehow) waits for someone to answer the question - (Somehow) Pops question out of processing queue To answer my "somehow’s" I am thinking the way to do this is as follows - Create a table for unanswered questions - Create a script that will run on a cron-tab every 1-second - - This script will query the Unanswered Questions table of the database - - Collect the last one (FIFO) - - Transaction: Move that data to a Processing Table and send alert to “Answerers.” - Create another script that the Answerer will call when he answers question So, currently my solution is to use a cron-tab and standalone scripts (such as Python or PHP) to manage the database at every interval. Are there better ways of doing this? Perhaps a way to handle queuing systems within the database itself and not rely on external scripts to run on Cron? My database system will most likely be MySQL running on a RedHat/CentOS system.

• Answer:

  Yes, there are better ways of doing this:  use a message queue instead of a database. Examples of message queue systems: http://www.rabbitmq.com/- http://www.rabbitmq.com/ http://activemq.apache.org/ http://gearman.org/ https://github.com/defunkt/resque The "database as queue" is commonly identified as an anti-pattern. https://blog.engineyard.com/2011/5-subtle-ways-youre-using-mysql-as-a-queue-and-why-itll-bite-you http://mikehadlow.blogspot.com/2012/04/database-as-queue-anti-pattern.html