SQL Remote Connection with file read - mysql

Question

So I am trying to access my servers databse reomtely and have it run commands to export several tables all to individual csv files. So what I have is a commmand line command parameters that look like this:
mysql -h 198.xxx.xxx.xxx -u user-p < file.txt
The contents of file.txt looks like this:
SELECT * FROM log
INTO OUTFILE 'C:\USERS\username\Desktop\log.csv'
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
SELECT * FROM permission_types
INTO OUTFILE 'C:\USERS\username\Desktop\permission_types.csv'
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
SELECT * FROM personal_info_options
INTO OUTFILE 'C:\USERS\username\Desktop\personal_info_options.csv'
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
I am not sure that I have the syntax for this right or if this is even possible I have been doing a bunch of research trying to get examples. People usually tell you concept but never seem to give you the code you need to test them its always something like:
mysql -h localhost -u user-p < somefile and they don't show you contents
of a file for example
I am running windows 7, I installed WAMPServer and it has MYSQL version 5.5.24, which I am access via commandline. I am not sure about the FILEDS TERMINATED BY or the ENCLOSED BY or LINES TERMINATED BY... do I need those at all? Will that actually save to my local machine? I am nervous about running this script I don't want to make a mistake and mess up the database. Also is .txt ok for the script file?
Any help you can give would be great.

Answer 1

I am not sure that I have the syntax for this right or if this is even possible I have been doing a bunch of research trying to get examples.
Your syntax is correct, except that each SELECT statement should be terminated with a semicolon. Note that you will also need to specify the database in which your tables reside—it's easiest to do this as an argument to mysql:
mysql -h 198.xxx.xxx.xxx -u user-p mydb < file.txt
I am not sure about the FILEDS TERMINATED BY or the ENCLOSED BY or LINES TERMINATED BY... do I need those at all?
As documented under SELECT ... INTO Syntax:
Here is an example that produces a file in the comma-separated values (CSV) format used by many programs:
SELECT a,b,a+b INTO OUTFILE '/tmp/result.txt'
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ',' OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
FROM test_table;
As explained under LOAD DATA Syntax:
If you specify no FIELDS or LINES clause, the defaults are the same as if you had written this:
FIELDS TERMINATED BY '\t' ENCLOSED BY '' ESCAPED BY '\\'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n' STARTING BY ''
It goes on to explain:
Conversely, the defaults cause SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE to act as follows when writing output:
Write tabs between fields.
Do not enclose fields within any quoting characters.
Use “\” to escape instances of tab, newline, or “\” that occur within field values.
Write newlines at the ends of lines.
Note that because LINES TERMINATED BY '\n' is the default, you could omit that clause; but the FIELDS clauses are necessary for CSV output.
Will that actually save to my local machine?
No. As documented under SELECT ... INTO Syntax:
The SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE 'file_name' form of SELECT writes the selected rows to a file. The file is created on the server host, so you must have the FILE privilege to use this syntax. file_name cannot be an existing file, which among other things prevents files such as /etc/passwd and database tables from being destroyed. The character_set_filesystem system variable controls the interpretation of the file name.
The SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE statement is intended primarily to let you very quickly dump a table to a text file on the server machine. If you want to create the resulting file on some other host than the server host, you normally cannot use SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE since there is no way to write a path to the file relative to the server host's file system.
However, if the MySQL client software is installed on the remote machine, you can instead use a client command such as mysql -e "SELECT ..." > file_name to generate the file on the client host.
It is also possible to create the resulting file on a different host other than the server host, if the location of the file on the remote host can be accessed using a network-mapped path on the server's file system. In this case, the presence of mysql (or some other MySQL client program) is not required on the target host.
I am nervous about running this script I don't want to make a mistake and mess up the database.
SELECT statements only read data from the database and do not make any changes to its content: thus they cannot "mess up the database".
Also is .txt ok for the script file?
Any extension will work: neither the MySQL client nor server software see it (your operating system reads the file and sends its content to the client program, which in turn sends that content to the server; the operating system is ambivalent to the file extension here).
On Windows, a .txt extension will associate the file with a text editor (e.g. Notepad) so that it can be readily opened for editing. Personally I would prefer .sql as it more accurately describes the file's content, and I would then associate that extension with a suitable editor—but none of that is necessary.