How to connect, administer, and migrate MySQL databases

This article is to demonstrate how to use MySQL Front software to connect to a MySQL database and also to export and import a database from one MySQL database host to another.

 

MySQL Front is a freeware GUI client for interfacing with MySQL databases that you download on your computer. Download it directly from their site at:

http://www.mysqlfront.de/

 

 

Once you have it installed, open it and click "File -> Open Connection"

 

 

 

You’ll then get a connections pop up where you can select "New" and then populate your connection parameters of which you’ll primarily need the correct database host, database user (or root user) and the appropriate password.

 

 

Once you’ve connected, you’ll see the database(s) on the left side navigation and there are some tools you can use. In the following screenshot you can see a selected database, the SQL Editor activated so you can enter MySQL commands, a MySQL command in the text entry area, and the button to execute the SQL query.

 

 

To migrate a database you can export it from one MySQL host as a .sql file, then import it into another MySQL host.

To do so, right click the database from the left side navigation, then select "Export -> SQL File" from the shortcut menu as shown in the following screenshot.

 

 

Selecting this option will open a "Save" dialogue window where you will save the entire database as a .sql file

 

 

Then you will be provided with some additional export options before you execute the export by clicking the "Run" button.

 

 

Then you will get a progress window and you can click Close once it completes.

 

Now to import the database, connect to the other host as previously shown, then select the "Import -> SQL" options.

This action will produce an "Open" dialogue window where you will navigate and select the .sql file you had previously saved. Once you select it, the import will immediately begin and you will get another progress window.

 

When it finishes it will only show the progress bar completed, you can just click the Close button and if you make it this far, then you have a successful import. The program will tell you if it fails and why, sometimes it will fail from incompatible SQL syntax or perhaps other reasons. This concludes this Knowledgebase article.