MySQL provides support for thirteen different storage engines which act as varying table type handlers. Most people who use MySQL on a regular basis already know about the two most common storage engines, MyISAM and InnoDB. Most of the time, the default storage engine as defined by the store_engine option in the MySQL config file is typically MyISAM, and this is usually what most people go with. In fact, many people do not even take the time to select a storage-engine, and just use the default. You can also assign a storage engine to a specific table with the following syntax: CREATE TABLE tablename (column1, column2, [etc…]) ENGINE = [storage_engine].
