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Storage engine of a database refers to the type of tables and determines how tables are stored in computers. Although MySQL supports different types of storage engines, not all of them have been optimized for data restoration and persistence. TencentDB for MySQL features such as point-in-time restoration and snapshot restoration require a restoration-enabled storage engine and are available in the InnoDB storage engine only.

TencentDB for MySQL supports InnoDB by default. It no longer supports the MyISAM and Memory engines in MySQL 5.6 and higher mainly for the following reasons:

• TencentDB for MySQL greatly optimizes the kernels for InnoDB and achieves higher performance.
• MyISAM adopts a table-level locking mechanism, while InnoDB uses a row-level one. Usually, InnoDB has higher write efficiency.

  Note：

  • With the widest lock scope, table-level locking is to lock the entire table that is being manipulated in MySQL.
  • With the narrowest lock scope, row-level locking is to lock only the row that is being manipulated in MySQL.

• MyISAM has defects in protecting data integrity, which may lead to data corruption or even loss. Moreover, many of these defects are design issues and cannot be fixed without breaking compatibility.
• Migration from MyISAM and Memory to InnoDB can be achieved at low cost by simply changing the code to create the tables for most applications.
• MyISAM is giving ground to InnoDB. In the latest MySQL 8.0, all system tables come in the InnoDB type.
• Memory cannot guarantee data integrity. If the instance restarts or experiences source/replica switch, all data in the table will be lost. It's recommended to migrate to InnoDB as soon as possible.

For more information, please see InnoDB Overview and MyISAM Overview.