MySQL Consulting & Support

MySQL Consulting & Support for Enterprises

AceMQ engineers design replication topologies, execute zero-downtime schema changes at scale, and run the 5.7-to-8.0 upgrades that break more than the changelog suggests. Every engagement is staffed by a named senior engineer with production MySQL experience.

A senior engineer, not an SDR. No sales sequence attached.

Senior SMEs
11+
Emergency SLA
<15min
Customers
160+
Countries Served
26+

Without rewriting your application's SQL or migrating to a different engineFor production incident cover, see AceMQ MySQL 24/7 support.

Customers

  • Microsoft
  • Henry Schein
  • Enbridge
  • Gojek

Partners

  • Broadcom
  • Redis
  • VMware Tanzu
  • OSSeva

The Problem

Why teams call us about MySQL

Eight MySQL problems teams bring to AceMQ, from replica lag that never recovers after the nightly batch and ALTER TABLE statements nobody can schedule to deadlocks no one can reproduce and a stalled 5.7 to 8.0 upgrade. If one describes your week, that is where the review starts.

  1. 01

    Replica lag climbs during the nightly batch and never fully recovers before the next one

  2. 02

    An ALTER TABLE on a large table means an outage window nobody will approve

  3. 03

    The InnoDB buffer pool was sized for the data volume of three years ago

  4. 04

    Deadlocks appear in the error log daily and nobody can reproduce them on demand

  5. 05

    The 5.7 to 8.0 upgrade stalled after collation and authentication plugin changes broke clients

  6. 06

    Connections pile up until max_connections is hit and the cause has never been isolated

  7. 07

    Replication has drifted and replicas are quietly returning stale rows to read traffic

  8. 08

    The RDS or Aurora bill keeps rising while the workload has stayed roughly flat

A good fit if you run MySQL in production, self-managed, on Percona Server or on RDS and Aurora, and want senior engineers who stay on a problem until the root cause is written down.

Not a fit for small teams with non-critical workloads. AceMQ is not a budget consultancy: we work with enterprises running business-critical and compliance-heavy MySQL.

Running MySQL in production? Get a quote from a senior engineer, answered within one hour.

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How it breaks, and the fix

What happens to your writes when the MySQL primary fails?

With asynchronous replication, a MySQL replica can be behind the primary when it fails. If failover promotes a replica that has not applied the latest transactions, they are gone, and the old primary comes back with errant GTIDs. A failover that was never rehearsed finds this out in production.

Primary failure with asynchronous replication

Application, ProxySQL, one primary, two replicas

Illustrative

  1. Writes go through ProxySQL to the primary. Both replicas apply the binary log and stay seconds behind, so reads can go to them.

  2. The primary fails. Failover promotes replica 1, which was far behind on apply, so transactions it never received are lost, and the old primary later rejoins with errant GTIDs.

  3. Semi-synchronous replication means a committed transaction has reached a replica's relay log, so replica 2 is promoted with every acknowledged commit. ProxySQL follows the new primary, and the runbook was rehearsed first.

Failover that has never been tested is one of the reasons teams call AceMQ about MySQL. The fix is design and rehearsal: semi-synchronous replication or Group Replication where losing a committed transaction is not acceptable, promotion only of the replica whose GTID set is a superset of the rest, read_only enforced on every replica so errant transactions cannot happen, ProxySQL or MySQL Router following the new primary, lag and relay log monitoring, and a failover and point-in-time restore runbook run on a replica first. Aurora MySQL replaces binlog replication with a shared storage layer and fails over differently, so AceMQ reviews that separately.

Our Services

MySQL Consulting & Services

AceMQ runs five MySQL service lines: architecture and replication design, performance tuning, version upgrades and migration, managed operations with 24/7 support, and a structured health check. A named senior engineer leads each one, and any of them can roll into 24/7 support with a 15-minute emergency SLA.

  • 01

    MySQL Architecture & Replication Design

    We design the replication topology and buffer pool sizing around your actual read/write split — not a default single-primary setup that falls over under load.

    • Replication topology design: asynchronous, semi-synchronous, and Group Replication
    • InnoDB buffer pool and redo log sizing for OLTP vs. reporting workloads
    • Partitioning and sharding strategy for tables outgrowing a single instance
    • Read replica routing and proxy layer design with ProxySQL or MySQL Router
  • 02

    Performance Tuning & Optimization

    Lock contention and slow queries look similar from the outside but need opposite fixes. We isolate which one you actually have before touching configuration.

    • InnoDB tuning by workload type: write-heavy, read-heavy, or mixed OLTP
    • Slow query log and EXPLAIN-driven index and query rewrites
    • Lock contention analysis for hot-row and gap-lock bottlenecks
    • Connection pooling and thread pool sizing to prevent connection storms
  • 03

    Version Upgrades & Migration

    The 5.7-to-8.0 jump changed default collations, removed query cache, and altered optimizer behavior in ways that surface as silent bugs, not errors. We plan around the breaking changes, not just the version number.

    • 5.7-to-8.0 upgrade planning around removed features and collation changes
    • Oracle and SQL Server to MySQL schema and stored procedure migration
    • Aurora MySQL vs. RDS MySQL vs. self-managed architecture evaluation
    • Online schema change execution with gh-ost or pt-online-schema-change for zero downtime
  • 04

    Managed Operations & 24/7 Support

    Replication breaks quietly until an application starts reading stale data. We monitor lag and failover readiness continuously, not just when something is already on fire.

    • Replication lag monitoring and automated failover runbook design
    • Backup validation with point-in-time recovery testing
    • 24/7 incident response for lock contention, replication breaks, and disk pressure
    • Capacity planning tied to query growth and connection volume trends
  • 05

    MySQL Health Check & Assessment

    A structured review of indexing, replication topology, and configuration against your actual workload — delivered as a written report your team can act on.

    • Index usage and duplicate index audit across the schema
    • Replication topology and lag risk review
    • Configuration audit against workload-appropriate InnoDB defaults
    • Written report with prioritized remediation ranked by production risk
  • 15 MIN SLA

    24/7 MySQL Support

    Named senior engineers on your account — 15-minute emergency response, no ticket routing, no junior triage.

    • 15-minute emergency response SLA
    • Named engineer, zero cold-start
    • Proactive CVE & health monitoring
    • Quarterly deployment reviews
    Compare the four MySQL support tiers

Want AceMQ to take this off your team's plate? Tell us about your MySQL estate.

Contact Us

24/7 Support

MySQL Support When It Matters Most

AceMQ MySQL support gives you a named senior engineer and a 15-minute first response when production is down, 24/7, on self-managed MySQL, Percona Server, RDS or Aurora. Lower severities get 1-hour, 4-hour and next-day responses, and every P1 ends with a written root-cause analysis.

  1. 15 minfirst responseEmergencyProduction down, messages not flowing, queue manager failure
  2. 1 hourfirst responseCriticalSevere degradation, high error rates, approaching capacity
  3. 4 hoursfirst responseHighPerformance issues, configuration problems, non-critical failures
  4. Next Dayfirst responseStandardQuestions, guidance, best practices, non-urgent improvements

P1 escalation path

A replay of one P1, from the first page to the written root-cause analysis

SLA 15:00
T+Elapsed15:00
Engineer on your bridge

15-minute P1 response, 24/7.
A response time, not a resolution time.

  1. T+00:00

    P1 opened, on-call engineer paged

    Phone, email or Slack reaches the on-call senior engineer directly, whether the incident is in RabbitMQ, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL or Kubernetes. No web form, no tier-1 queue.

    Paged
  2. T+15:00

    Senior engineer on your bridge

    A senior engineer who already knows your environment joins a live bridge, so nobody has to re-explain your topology.

    Live
  3. T+30:00

    Specialists across the stack join

    When an incident crosses components, the engineers who know each one join. For RabbitMQ, the path runs to the core team.

    If needed
  4. After

    Written root-cause analysis

    Root cause, the fix applied and the prevention steps, delivered after every P1.

    Every P1

How Our Support Actually Works

Beyond SLAs — the model behind senior-only, zero-cold-start expert access.

  • Named Engineers on Your Account

    Every ticket is handled by a senior SME assigned to your account — not a pool of anonymous agents. Zero cold-start. No re-explaining your environment.

  • Live Escalation on Any Ticket

    Any ticket can be escalated to a live session with your named engineer via calendar booking. No gatekeeping, no approval required — direct access, always.

  • Proactive Risk Mitigation

    Quarterly health checks on your deployment plus shared intelligence from 50+ support customers — we surface risks before they reach production.

  • Critical Bug & CVE Intelligence

    Proactive alerts on critical bugs and CVEs affecting your exact version, with version compliance monitoring so you're never caught off guard.

  • Commercial EOL Versions

    Commercial support for end-of-life MySQL versions, with security fixes backported through OSSeva, so the upgrade happens on your schedule rather than the community's.

Compare MySQL support plans

How It Works

What actually happens next

An AceMQ MySQL engagement runs in four stages: an instance and workload review of 1 to 2 weeks, written findings within a week, changes made alongside your team with schema changes run online and upgrades rehearsed on a replica, then a handover with runbooks for failover, replica rebuild and upgrade rollback.

1–2 weeks

Instance and workload review

We review buffer pool sizing, replication topology and the real sources of lag, slow query and deadlock logs, index usage, and the schema change process your team actually follows.

Within a week

Written findings and plan

What is driving the lag or the contention, what is merely correlated with it, and the order to fix it in. Sized for your own engineering leadership to sign off.

Scoped per engagement

Implementation alongside your team

Schema changes run online with gh-ost or pt-online-schema-change, upgrades rehearsed on a replica first, so the primary keeps serving throughout.

Ongoing

Handover and optional cover

Runbooks for failover, replica rebuild and upgrade rollback, plus 24/7 support with a 15-minute emergency SLA if you want it.

  • Written findings before any change
  • Schema changes and upgrades rehearsed on a replica first
  • Your engineers in the room
  • You keep the runbooks
  • Ad hoc engagements or an annual partnership

A senior engineer, not an SDR. No sales sequence attached.

Customer Success

Real MySQL Results

AceMQ case studies where MySQL was part of the estate, from replication lag and InnoDB lock contention to the 8.0 upgrade. Each one links to the full write-up: the environment, what AceMQ assessed or changed, and the result.

1 / 6 case studies

All use cases

Solutions

Every way AceMQ works with MySQL.

AceMQ covers MySQL end to end: consulting and upgrades, 24/7 support and incident management, proactive monitoring, managed MySQL on your infrastructure or on AceMQ's, OSSeva patches for MySQL 5.7 and 8.0, and a fixed-price health check.

Projects

Build, fix or move MySQL

Fixed-scope work led by a senior engineer: architecture and new builds, a health check of what you run today, or a migration with a reversible cutover.

Support and managed services

Keep MySQL running

Four tiers of ongoing cover once you are live. Each tier hands more of the day-to-day work to AceMQ, from a 15-minute emergency SLA to AceMQ hosting and running MySQL for you.

Compare the four MySQL support tiers

Side by side

Managed MySQL or self-managed: what do you still own?

A cloud-managed MySQL service such as Amazon RDS, Aurora, Azure Database for MySQL or Cloud SQL runs the server: backups, failover and minor patching. Self-managed MySQL leaves all of that with your team. Either way, schema, indexes, lock contention, replication behaviour and online DDL stay with you, and that is the layer AceMQ covers.

Cloud-managed MySQL compared with self-managed MySQL on who runs the server, settings, end of life, incidents, cost shape and exit
QuestionCloud-managed (RDS, Aurora, Azure, Cloud SQL)Self-managed (VMs, Kubernetes, bare metal)
Who runs backups, failover and minor patching?The cloud provider, for the instance.Your team, or a specialist on call.
Which settings and versions can you use?Those the service exposes. Parameters, plugins and versions follow the provider's list and calendar.Any setting, plugin and Community, Enterprise or Percona build.
What happens at community end of life?Amazon RDS and Aurora offer paid extended support for MySQL versions past end of life. Check your provider's retirement date.Upstream fixes stop at end of life. Patched builds can extend MySQL 5.7 and 8.0 Community through OSSeva.
Who answers a database incident?The provider's support runs the platform. Lock contention, slow queries, replica lag and schema changes stay with your team.Your team, or AceMQ: a named senior engineer, 24/7, a 15-minute emergency response and a written root-cause analysis for every P1.
What does it cost?Instance, storage, I/O and data transfer on the cloud invoice. Aurora bills I/O separately unless you choose the I/O-optimized configuration.Your own infrastructure, plus a support contract priced on the cover you need.
How do you leave?Logical dump or replication. Aurora-specific features, such as its storage layer and cloning, do not travel.Nothing to exit. Runbooks and topology documentation are yours.

For what Oracle, the cloud providers and independent support each cover, see MySQL support options compared. For version dates, read MySQL 8.0 and 5.7 end-of-life dates.

Not sure which option fits? A senior MySQL engineer will scope it with you.

Contact Us

One partner, not five

We Support Your Entire Tech Stack

MySQL rarely fails in isolation. AceMQ covers the full surrounding infrastructure — so one team owns the whole path instead of pointing at each other.

Messaging & Streaming

Databases & Caching

Search & Analytics

Lakehouse & Compute

Observability & Monitoring

Data Integration

Cloud & Containers

API Management

VMware Tanzu

See all 51 technologies we supportShow fewer

Guides, articles and comparisons

Go deeper on MySQL.

Guides from AceMQ engineers on MySQL end of life, support options and moving between MySQL and PostgreSQL, plus the AceMQ services for the databases and systems that usually run next to MySQL. Each link goes to the full article or service page.

Related services

Ready to talk MySQL? Get a quote or send us a message.

Contact Us

FAQs

MySQL Questions Answered

Eight answers on MySQL from AceMQ: who answers when a database fails, supported and end-of-life versions, what breaks in the move to 8.4, online schema changes, replica lag, Aurora or RDS or self-managed, health checks, and what consulting includes.

Still have questions about MySQL? Email an Expert

Who answers when a MySQL database fails in production, and how fast?

A named AceMQ senior engineer answers within 15 minutes, 24/7, when a MySQL server is down, replication is broken or a disk is full, on self-managed MySQL, Percona Server, RDS or Aurora. Lower severities get a first response within 1 hour, 4 hours or the next business day, and the engineer stays engaged until the root cause is documented.

Which MySQL versions are still supported, and what happens after end of life?

MySQL 8.0 moved to Oracle Sustaining Support on 21 April 2026, and 5.7 did so in October 2023. MySQL 8.4 LTS is the supported line most estates are moving to. AceMQ supports 5.7, 8.0, 8.4 and the innovation releases 24/7, and patched builds through OSSeva keep MySQL 5.7 and 8.0 Community patched while the upgrade is planned.

What breaks when upgrading MySQL from 5.7 or 8.0 to 8.4?

Authentication and defaults. mysql_native_password is disabled by default in 8.4, so clients and accounts still using it fail to connect. From 5.7, the utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci default collation, the removed query cache and stricter SQL modes also bite. We find those accounts and queries first, rehearse the upgrade on a replica and cut over with a tested rollback.

Can you run schema changes on large tables without downtime?

Yes. We use gh-ost or pt-online-schema-change, chosen for your replication topology and table size, with a dry run, a throttle tied to your replica lag budget and a rollback plan. A plain ALTER TABLE on a table with hundreds of millions of rows can queue behind one long SELECT and block every query on the table.

Our replica lags for hours every night. Can that be fixed without new hardware?

Usually. Nightly lag is typically a concurrency problem in the apply path, not a throughput problem on the replica. We check transaction size first, because one large multi-row transaction serialises apply, then the parallel replication settings and whether row-based logging on wide tables inflates the binary log. Splitting the batch into bounded chunks fixes more than extra CPU.

Aurora MySQL, RDS or self-managed: how do you decide?

It depends on your team's operational capacity, read-scaling needs and cost at your data volume. Aurora replaces InnoDB's storage and redo handling with a shared storage layer, so failover time, replica lag and buffer pool tuning all work differently from RDS or self-managed MySQL. We compare them against your workload and state the trade-offs plainly.

What is involved in a MySQL health check?

A MySQL health check reviews index usage and duplicates, replication topology and lag risk, InnoDB configuration against your workload, connection handling, backups and failover readiness. You get a written report with prioritised fixes ranked by production risk. It is a fixed-price engagement, and many teams repeat it quarterly or after major changes.

What does a MySQL consultant from AceMQ do?

Our MySQL consulting covers replication architecture, InnoDB and query tuning, version upgrade planning, online schema change execution, and migration off Oracle or SQL Server. A named senior engineer acts as your MySQL consultant on each engagement, delivers written findings before changing anything, and works alongside your DBAs.

Can we work with AceMQ on MySQL without a long contract?

Yes. AceMQ works on MySQL in two ways: ad hoc engagements for a defined piece of work, such as a health check, an upgrade or an incident, or an annual partner engagement that covers 24/7 support, proactive reviews and named engineers. Many teams start ad hoc and move to an annual partnership once the first engagement is done.

How much does AceMQ MySQL support or consulting cost?

Every AceMQ proposal is tailored to your requirements: your MySQL environment, the SLA you need, the hours of cover and the scope of work. Most contracts run $24,000–72,000 a year, depending on the SLA, the scope and how MySQL is deployed, with aggressive discounts when several technologies share one contract. Request a quote and AceMQ replies within 1 hour.

Let's talk

Ready to Stabilize Your MySQL Environment?

Whether you need emergency support, a healthcheck, a version upgrade, or ongoing managed support — AceMQ staffs every engagement with a named senior MySQL engineer. Quote requests answered within 1 hour.

A senior MySQL engineer, not a sales queueAbout your databases, not a pitch deckQuote requests answered within 1 hour

Production incident right now?Email a MySQL Architect

Get in Touch

Talk to a MySQL Expert

Send us a message and we'll follow up within 1 hour — or book a free 30-min consultation directly.

305-204-2607
info@acemq.com
66 W. Flagler St. 9th Floor
Miami, FL 33130

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