After having a few heated discussions on Facebook in reference to Open-Source Relational Databases, I would like to refer those who think that MySQL will cost your company nothing to the MySQL Enterprise DBA Savings Calculator page.

All Database servers have to be managed, and there are the costs of hiring a competent DBA to do so. On MySQL.com they make the argument and statistics rather clear – that if you buy support, especially Enterprise Level Support, you will save costs and problems before they arise. Having proper support for the lone DBA (as often the case in small companies) will produce a very high return on investment (ROI), and this is something that is not exclusive to managing MySQL.