On April 21, 2026, our third public discussion continued the conversation around transparency, participation, and the future of MySQL. Building on the momentum from earlier sessions, the discussion focused on progress and improvements to increase community transparency and practical ways for community members to get involved.
At the center of the discussion was the MySQL Community Engagement Strategy, which remains focused on three priorities:
- Delivering more innovation into Community Edition
- Expanding and growing the ecosystem
- Increasing transparency and community participation
This session showed that those goals are moving beyond strategy and into execution, with several initiatives already taking shape.
Release Plans and Roadmap Progress
One of the biggest updates shared during the webinar was the release of MySQL 9.7 LTS The discussion reinforced that we will continue with quarterly releases, and a regular cadence of Early Access releases. The MySQL Community Edition public roadmap will increasingly be shaped with community input. In parallel, work continues to identify Enterprise features that may be appropriate to bring into Community Edition over time.
Several areas of focus were also highlighted for continued transparency, including publication of select CVE information on dev.mysql.com, continued release of select worklogs, and prioritizing roadmap items that align with community needs. Vector capabilities remain an important target for a future release, and thread pooling was also identified as a possible candidate for Community Edition.
Planet MySQL Improvements Underway
The discussion included an update on Planet MySQL, where work has already begun on planned improvements. Initial efforts are focused on lower-effort enhancements that help the team become more familiar with the code base, while laying the groundwork for a broader refactoring of the filtering process. Other high-priority improvements include easier content submission for community members and the creation of an ecosystem and tools spotlight page.
These updates reflect a broader commitment to making community content easier to discover, easier to contribute, and more useful to the wider ecosystem.
Early Access Releases and Community Feedback
Another main topic was the Early Access Release Program. Two Early Access releases were available before the full release of MySQL 9.7, with an eye toward even more frequent early access builds in the future. Early engagement has already been strong, with almost 11,000 combined downloads across the two early access releases for 9.7. Community feedback remains a key part of that process, helping refine both the release experience and the product itself.
The areas where community participation can have the biggest impact were clearly outlined:
- Practical testing
- Validation of bug fixes
- Broader product feedback
That emphasis reflects an ongoing effort to make development more collaborative and to give users earlier opportunities to help shape release quality.
Improvements to Bug and Feature Request Transparency
A big portion of the session focused on the progress that has been made to date on the bug backlog, and improving transparency around bug reports. Current work includes evaluating new tools, developing templates to standardize submissions, and improving both bug triage and communication of progress. A phased approach is planned for continued progress on the backlog of bugs, with issues related to the 8.x series targeted first. Community members were also encouraged to assist with bug verification if this is an area where they would like to participate.
Measuring Progress
The Community Team shared a summary from our last public discussion and outlined how progress should be measured. The metrics we will track include year-over-year improvements in:
- Community contributions and contribution quality
- Growth in both new and core contributors
- Issues addressed, backlog progress, and response times
- Quantity and quality of community-submitted patches
- Innovation and leadership in roadmap projects
- Event and social engagement and participation
Together, these measures point to a more open and accountable model for community engagement over time.
Contributor Summit and New Feature Requests
The session also included a save-the-date announcement for the 2026 MySQL Contributor Summit, scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in a hybrid format (online and in person) in Redwood Shores, California.
For contributors interested in proposing new features and helping shape the conversation at the Contributor Summit, here’s how to participate:
- Identify the feature or improvement you would like to propose; note that priority will be given to features that align with our public MySQL Community Roadmap.
- Complete the design template proposal
- File a feature request and attach the proposal.
- Register for the Contributor Summit.
- Attend the pre-summit meeting to discuss the idea in more depth.
The MySQL Developer Guide was also highlighted as an additional resource for contributors preparing proposals and participating in the process.
Looking Ahead
The session closed with a clear call to action for developers, testers, and community members to participate in upcoming public discussions, especially those focused on improving the MySQL contribution process. The message throughout the session was consistent: transparency is improving, participation opportunities are expanding, and community input will continue to play an important role in shaping the future of MySQL.
With MySQL Community Edition 9.7 now available, roadmap visibility increasing, Planet MySQL improvements underway, and new efforts around contribution workflows in motion, the third public discussion marked another meaningful step toward a more open, collaborative, and community-driven MySQL ecosystem. Our next public discussion will be in May with a focus on MySQL Community Contributions.