If I were to want to create a PHP function that does the same thing as the Export tab in phpMyAdmin, how could I do it? I don't know if there is a MySQL function that does this or if phpMyAdmin just builds the export file (in SQL that is) manually. Without shell access. Just using PHP.
I tried the documentation for mysqldump, but that seemed to require using the shell. I'm not quite sure what that even is -- maybe my question is: how do you use shell?
My silly idea is to allow non-technical users to build a site on one server (say a localhost) using MySQL then export the site, database and all, to another server (eg. a remote server).
I think I'm pretty clear on the Import process.
You can check the phpMyAdmin source code (an advantage of open-source software). Check the export.php script and the supporting functions in the libraries/export/sql.php script file.
In summary, what phpMyAdmin does is:
get a list of the tables in the given database (SHOW TABLES FROM...),
get the create query for each table (SHOW CREATE TABLE...),
parse it and extract column definitions from it,
get all data (SELECT * FROM...)
build a query according to column data.
I've written similar code for my own apps (for backup purposes, when the GPL license of phpMyAdmin doesn't allow me to use it), however I use DESCRIBE to get column definitions. I think they rather parse the SHOW CREATE TABLE output because contains more information than DESCRIBE output.
This way to generate SQL sentences requires a bit of care to handle the escaping but it allows for some flexibility, as you can convert types, filter or sanitize data, etc. It is also a lot slower than using a tool like mysqldump and you should take care of not consuming all available memory (write soon, write often, don't keep everything in memory).
If you will implement a migration process (from server to server) maybe it would be easier to do it with some shell scripting and calling mysqldump directly, unless you will do everything with PHP.
Related
So I'm moving from MS Access to MySQL:
In MS Access you can store certain INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE queries as objects alongside your tables. Thus for anyone who don't understand computers that well, they can click on the objects and automatically run the queries to alter the master table for various business functions.
In MySQL, where and how do you store these queries, I seem to be only able to make tables. When I write a piece of code using the SQL editor, I can only save it to a remote location (such as my local desktop) and not onto the MySQL database, where it's accessible for my coworkers.
If you can't save it onto the server, how would I write a piece of code and execute it within the database that would be easily usable by others.
Thanks
The answer to this question is going to depend on your environment, your users, and your bandwidth to support any given solution. You are gaining a lot by making the switch from Access to MySQL, however you are losing some of the the WYSIWYG features. (e.g., Access forms that can bind directly to your data source.)
There are many approaches:
If your users are more advanced, simply having access to the database using MySQL Workbench may suffice. From there they would have access to run views, stored procedures, or to create their own custom queries.
Another option would be to script your objects using Python and provide a simple gui using TkInter. Python is generally thought of as an easy to use language; with built in suppport for MySQL and TkInter is its "default" interface.
Using the LAMP architecture is another largely popular paradigm using MySQL as the backend database.
There is also nothing stopping you from using Access to link to your MySQL db using MySQL as an external data source.
I hope this provides enough info to help you begin whittling down your options.
I have an .sql script that contains inserts and creates tables. I used the "Create EER Model From Script"
It created the tables but I can't see the data inside these tables.
I went to the query menu and tried to make a query but it gives me an error about not being able to connect to localhost.
Am I doing it right?
As documented under Create EER Model from SQL Script:
Clicking this action item launches the Reverse Engineer SQL Script wizard. This is a multi-stage wizard that enables you to select the script you want to create your model from.
For further information, see Section 7.7.9.1, “Reverse Engineering Using a Create Script”.
Following that link:
However, if you are working with a script that also contains DML statements you need not remove them; they will be ignored.
Instead, you want the Manage Data Import/Export option under Server Administration (within the Workspace section of the Home window).
You are confusing things here. Creating a model from a script is a process where meta data is examined and a model is created that you can then use to modify your schema structure, further design your db objects and all that. Modeling is a design process for the structure of your schema/db so it only deals with meta data. It's also used for documentation (e.g. in teams).
On the other hand there's normal sql work with existing db objects and/or actually creating/deleting/modifying db objects. In order to do the latter you must have an understanding of the design of the schema (which you could get by using the modeling part of MySQL Workbench, but not only by that). This is also the place to load a script, run it to insert data and such.
The error you mentioned regarding the connection is yet another problem and you need to solve this first to be able to even access your server. And yes, you have to install a server first somewhere. MySQL Workbench is a tool to visually work with your server(s) in opposition to the MySQL command line client which is a pure text interface (but still also a client application for your MySQL servers).
If you are on Windows and want a MySQL server installed locally (e.g. for testing) your best option is to download the MySQL Installer which greatly simplifies installing any of the tools from the MySQL family (server, client tools, connectors, documentation and more).
I currently have a database in MySQL, which I'd like to import in MS Access.
Is it possible to do this while keeping all relationships intact (i.e. without exporting to .csv, or by using ODBC)?
I'm a noob in this area so any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
You need to solve two different problems:
Creating an empty MS Access database with a structure that matches the MySQL database structure.
Extracting the data from MySQL and loading it into MS Access.
This is not easy because different SQL databases offer different structural features, different datatypes, and so on. The more complex your use of MySQL is the more likely you'll run into some show-stopper during the conversion (for instance, Access doesn't support triggers at all). Conversely if you're using MySQL as a simple data store you may find the conversion fairly easy.
To get an MS Access database with the same structure as your MySQL database, your best bet is to find a database definition / diagramming tool that offers reverse engineering and supports both MySQL and MS Access. Use it to reverse engineer your MySQL database into a database diagram, then change the underlying database to MS Access and use the tool to generate a database.
Check out Dezign For Databases which (on paper, anyway) offers the features you would need to do this.
To pump the data across, there are any number of tools. This kind of operation is generically referred to as ETL (Extract, Translate, Load).
Do you mean SQL Server? A good starting point might be to check out SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), which can be used for transferring data around like that.
Google will also be helpful, check out the first result:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237980
By the way, you said ".sql" in your question: a .SQL file is a script file, which could do anything from create a database, insert data, drop table, delete data, or given the right permissions, call system procedures and reboot a machine, format a drive, send an email.. Just for ref, .SQL files aren't the storage format used by SQL Server.
While you can script your database's schema into script files via something like SQLyog, you will find that the syntax varies enough from database to database (MySQL to Access, in your case) that you can't directly apply the scripts.
With much effort a conversion script could be created by editing the script (perhaps automated with a program, depending on the resulting script size). I think you would be better served using ODBC to copy the tables (and data) and then extracting and re-applying the relationships from the generated script by hand. Time consuming, but also a one time operation I would hope.
When both systems are the same database, there are tools that can do the comparison and script generation (TOAD for MySQL and RedGate Compare for Microsoft SQL), but they don't do cross database work (at least not the ones I am aware of).
If you create a ODBC DSN, you can use TransferDatabase to import from your MySQL database. You can do it manually with the GET EXTERNAL DATA command (or whatever it is in A2007/A2010) and see how well it works. It won't get all data types exactly right, but you could do some massaging and likely get it closer to what will work best.
Is there some reason you can't just link to the MySQL tables and use them directly? That is, why do you need to import into Access at all?
Access: run query. Just make sure to adapt the SQL code since every RDMS has its own sintaxis (despite SQL being an ANSI standard).
Is there any program (preferably official) for Windows that can be used to manipulate MySQL data dumps?
For example, easily importing a MySQL text dump and create the database for all kinds of manipulations (you know, common data operations such as select, update, insert, delete, export into CSV, etc.) via a GUI interface. Much like what you can do with MS Excel and MS Access.
I know only phpMyAdmin which requires a local web server environment which might a little too much for what I need.
I thought http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/ was what I needed and installed to find out that it's not.
Any such tools exist? I ask this is actually because these MySQL dumps are for my users who know nothing about SQL or anything technical. This is for them, not me. After they downloaded the SQL I provided, they ask me: "How can I open it?"
I tried to provide them CSV, but CSV generated by this approach: http://www.kavoir.com/2010/11/mysql-export-table-to-csv-text-files-for-excel.html would contain stuff like \" if the original data contains ". When you open the CSV in Excel, \" are all over the place.
http://www.webyog.com/en/
I used to use SQLyog at my last job. It's a pretty decent GUI tool for interacting with MySQL, either local or remote. It'll cost you $99 at the cheapest, but you can try it for 30 days. If you like it and it makes life easier, it could be worth the $99, as well.
Running a local server is actually pretty easy. I use xampp which was really easy to install and came set up and ready to use phpMyAdmin. It's also really easy to shut the whole server (or just parts of it) down when it's not in use to conserve system resources.
I want to create a desktop version of my mysql installation without having to setup a server on my machine.
I want to make use of MS Access' query designer so I can produce complicated queries.
I know I can produce an SQL file but I've no idea how to create an MS Access database from it ?
I'm not going to jump on the "Access sucks" bandwagon, though it can be very frustrating at times.
Worst case, You can start with a blank Access database (mdb file, since you specified pre-2007). Open the query designer & go to SQL view. Paste in one complete SQL statement (CREATE TABLE...), and run it. Fix any incompatibility errors, paste in the next (replacing the first), rinse, repeat. Be sure to do this in such order that any dependency "sources" get created before the dependents.
There may be a batch process available, but I don't know what it is offhand.
Moving from MySQL to something like Access is heading in the wrong direction.
If you need a server-less SQL installation or package as part of your distribution (which is a pretty common requirement these days since admins don't like users to install database servers on their machines), consider SQL Server Compact Edition (CE) or SQL Lite. They're both fully SQL compliant (unlike Access) and will cause you far fewer headaches than Access (which sucks). (Did I mention that Access sucks? Big time?)
SQL CE is a .NET assembly that runs in-process with your app, and is very easy to work with. Also, db objects you create will be upwards-compatibile with the full-blown SQL Server. It also works very, very well with Entity Framework if you're into ORMs.
I've heard praise for SQLite, but haven't worked with it. If you're not on .NET, this should be a good way to go.
Links:
SQL CE
SQLite
I don't know if this is a viable option, but if you can set up a DSN to point to your MySQL server, you can then use FILE | GET EXTERNAL DATA | IMPORT to import your MySQL tables into a blank MDB/ACCDB. It's a one-time operation, but I don't know that there's any other option here. You should get the option to import the table schema only and not schema+data. You may have to tweak data types in the resulting tables, since the MySQL data types won't necessarily map directly to Jet/ACE data types.
Then you can carry the MDB/ACCDB file anywhere you want.