MySQL 8 New Features Every Data Professional Should Know

MySQL 8 was the release that made MySQL a serious analytical database. If you learned MySQL 5.x, these are the features that change how you write queries today.

Key Points

• Window functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG/LEAD — analytics gold
• CTEs and recursive CTEs with the WITH clause
• Much stronger JSON functions and JSON_TABLE
• Invisible indexes: test dropping an index without actually dropping it
• Roles for cleaner permission management
• Transactional data dictionary and atomic DDL improved reliability