Google has announced the limited preview of Google Cloud SQL, which allows developers building applications in Java and Python on Google's App Engine platform to choose to power them with a familiar relational database in a fully-managed cloud environment.

Google Cloud SQL brings many benefits to the App Engine community:

- No maintenance or administration
- High reliability and availability - data is replicated synchronously to multiple data centers. Machine, rack and data center failures are handled automatically .
- Familiar MySQL database environment with JDBC support (for Java-based App Engine applications) and DB-API support (for Python-based App Engine applications).
- Comprehensive user interface for administering databases.
- Simple integration with Google App Engine.

The service includes database import and export functionality, so developers can move their existing MySQL databases to the cloud and use them with App Engine. Cloud SQL is available free of charge for now, and Google will publish pricing at least 30 days before charging for it.