I use Rackspace Cloud Servers. I run own MySQL instance there and now I see that Rackspace offers also Cloud Database product. Where is an advantage to use it against the situation I manage MySQL directly on Cloud Server?
And the second question is why I should use Xeround or other similar additional systems if there is Cloud Database product from Rackspace?
Xeround cheapest plan is about 3 times cheaper than that of Rackspace Cloud Databases. Moreover it has free plan for tiny DBs with few connections (less than 5).
On the other hand, Xeround uses its own engine for MySQL, which has some limitations. Like, it doesn't support foreign keys. Also primary keys could be added only with CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE can not add PK.
Moving from hosting own MySQL instance on a dedicated cloud server to using oner of these DaaS services frees you from some administrative tasks related to DB, like updating software or scaling.
