Why Create a New Function?
As you will see from Appendix C, “Function and Operator Reference,” MySQL has an extensive library of functions. However, there may be times when the precise function that your application requires is not present.
What are your options for implementing this function? You have several options:
Implement the function in your application code (such as PHP or Perl)
Ask the company behind MySQL, MySQL AB, to implement the function as a new native function for MySQL itself
Create a new native function for MySQL yourself
Write a UDF (user-definable function) for MySQL
The first option—implementing the required function in your application code—is almost certainly the option you will choose most of the time. MySQL applications ...
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