What if anything you touch generates data that needs to be monitored, stored, and potentially curated? How could you process the data, and what format should it be in? With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), this scenario has become reality. While to some people IoT refers to the interconnectedness of any entity that is accessible via an Internet protocol (IP) address, the author makes a valid distinction between IoT apps that have a tangible benefit and others that do not: “IoT solutions must be those things that provide some meaning--however small that benefit is to someone” (p 3). So, just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
Conceptually, the book has two parts. Chapters 1 through 4 deal with the theoretical underpinnings of IoT, data storage, and data transformation while the remaining chapters apply the theory and show how to leverage MySQL as an efficient and effective data repository for supporting IoT solutions. Hence, the audience for the book includes those who want to use MySQL in their IoT applications and learn “how to read sensors, store data, build data aggregators, and more, for sensor networks and IoT solutions” (p. xxi).
The book starts out with a discussion of IoT and data as it relates to scalability. The first chapter is an introduction to the technology stack for IoT applications and architecture, and provides examples for implementations (for example, fleet management, sensor networks). It concludes with a discussion on security and big data. The interconnectedness comes at a price: an overabundance of data and increased risks of data breaches and hacking in low-security environments make data storage and security the two most important issues when it comes to IoT.
Chapter 2 discusses the hardware available for building IoT solutions. In particular, the author discusses the open-source hardware platform Arduino with its various board configurations and gives instructions on how to build your own microcontroller board. He also gives a list of the most popular microcontroller boards such as Raspberry Pi, Esquilla, and Teensy. Finally, several sensor types are discussed.
Chapter 3 on data storage and chapter 4 on data transformation round out the theoretical discussions of the concepts necessary for a neophyte in IoT and database design to get prepared for the MySQL primer in chapter 5. Chapter 6 on building low-cost data nodes offers a Raspberry Pi tutorial and MySQL installation instructions. The author includes a brief description of other platforms such as BeagleBone Black, pcDuino, and Intel Galileo. Chapters 7 and 8 deal with high-availability IoT solutions and MySQL replication techniques, respectively.
What is great about the book is its bipartite structure of theory and praxis, which leads to a better understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, it provides the options for readers that may have knowledge in some areas but not in others to skip parts of the book without getting lost. Areas such as data transformation or some of the tutorials can easily be skimmed over or skipped without losing the thread of the book. The examples are insightful and the supporting website provides the code for “getting your hands dirty” building sample apps. For each chapter with programming examples, the reader can find the source code on the publisher’s website. All of these features make the book a solid primer for working with MySQL when building IoT solutions and very enjoyable to read.
