Introduction

In this chapter, we will explore some of the features of the CONNECT storage engine. This storage engine allows us to access data in various file formats such as XML, CSV, and other types of files stored on our host system. Its purpose is to connect MariaDB to these various data types. It's a very handy tool for bringing various pieces of an infrastructure together. So, the CONNECT storage engine tables are not exactly tables in the traditional sense (they may not even physically exist). With that in mind, there are some things we need to realize when working with this storage engine.

First, DROP TABLE does not delete content the way MyISAM, InnoDB, and other tables do. CONNECT tables are definitions of where the data we want to access is and what format it is in. For example, an XML file stored in a user's home directory. When we drop a CONNECT table using DROP, we are dropping the where-and-what definition stored in the CONNECT table and not the data itself.

Secondly, indexing...