Westone Amplifies Database Performance with MySQL

Westone Laboratories is a leading global manufacturer of custom-made products for the ear. The nearly 50-year-old company makes custom earpieces for hearing aids, in-ear monitors, communications devices, hearing protection systems and related supplies. As a manufacturer, supplier, and a source of technical counsel and assistance, Westone must carefully manage data about its many customer constituencies, including doctors and hospitals, patients and the hearing health professionals that distribute its products.

Westone relies on the MySQL database server to power an increasing number of its most critical data management applications, including an online dispenser referral database and a large customer account history database with over two million records. Westone also uses MySQL for a business-critical patient information database, with over 1.5 million records. These systems provide an archive for the best part of the last decade of Westone's customer interaction or patient/end-user data. Westone's hosting provider is also MySQL friendly, further enhancing MySQL's end-to-end usefulness.

Database table growth at Westone is now running at least 58,000 records per month and is ever increasing. Cal Pearson, IT Director for Westone, commented. "I've been testing various databases to replace our very old Paradox system for about 3 years (don't laugh, until I tested Oracle and MySQL I was not able to out perform this old workhorse DB). Once I brought MySQL into our lab for evaluation, I knew we had found a long term solution - MySQL."

"MySQL is rock solid," said Evert Ford, software developer at Westone. "Our need for a fast response to our customers requires our databases to always deliver, day-in, day-out, and MySQL does just that. We can now do large searches against an over two million record table and display the correct result row set in less than four seconds. The browser usually takes longer to render the view, than the actual query took."

Westone runs MySQL for Linux on stock Dell PowerEdge server hardware. The initial shoestring development was done on a Windows 98SE box. Once the server hardware was delivered, the MySQL database application was directly copied to the Linux box. "It came up and was available instantly! That was totally unexpected!" noted Ford.

ODBC connectivity allowed Westone to access information in its accounting package, as well as import data from old Paradox databases. The clean interface between MySQL and Trolltech's QT smoothed the way for future application development.

Ford considered using proprietary databases, including Oracle, but he said that he found MySQL to be more reliable. "I trust it more anyway. I see all sorts of errors and mistakes in other software," he commented. The strong performance benchmarks MySQL has earned versus other databases also contributed to Westone's decision to go with MySQL.

"MySQL's strength lies in its ability to handle multiple concurrent requests and its extremely quick response speed. We plan to extend it into all areas of production and transaction processing, using Windows or Linux front-ends and Linux back-ends, with the ability for remote facilities to work in both a connected as well as stand-alone mode," said Ford. "This is the traditional domain of an embedded or proprietary database in manufacturing front-ends (job-floor control). Using MySQL in this and other systems will consolidate data, outperform our existing systems and give Westone users reporting and viewing capacity that is very responsive and trustworthy."

Westone is exporting various historical accounting transaction data from MAS200 client/server (BEST Software, Inc.) accounting system into MySQL as permanent repository for these histories. Westone's system consultants were absolutely blown away when Ford demonstrated the "External History System for AR'" (MySQL, Perl, Apache and Opera), returning results 45 times faster than the accounting system on large accounts. Ford's final comment typifies Westone's overall success with MySQL. "Both these systems are *nix-based, with similar hardware performance. The MySQL system, in some cases 45 times faster, is reporting seven to eight years of data - the accounting system reports from only 18 months of data."