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How to Install and Use MySQL Workbench

How to Install and Use MySQL Workbench
Hostman Team
Technical writer
MySQL
11.12.2023
Reading time: 7 min

To create a small database, you only need to write a short SQL script. It may be enough for learning or testing purposes. However, "real" databases, even in small projects, consist of dozens of tables and views and can be very difficult to work with using only SQL. It is hard to keep dozens of entities in your head without getting confused. That's when MySQL Workbench becomes a solution.

MySql Workbench is software for creating and designing databases using schemas and other visual tools. Today, we will show you what Workbench is, how to install it and connect to a cluster, how to create tables and models, and how to import and export data.

How to install MySQL WorkBench

To install MySQL Workbench, go to the official website and choose MySQL Enterprise Edition ->Workbench among the products. Or you can follow this link.

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Click on "Download Now" and go to the page with options:

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Here, select the operating system. In our case it is Windows 10 64-bit. After downloading and installing, the application is ready to work. 

How to create a database in MySQL Workbench

Before creating databases, let's define the entities and their attributes. Let's think of a database for an abstract hosting service with three tables: clients, servers, services.

The "Clients" will have the following columns: contract number as primary key, client's full name, service ID, and server ID.

The columns of the "Servers" table will display information about the servers themselves:

  • Server ID

  • IP address

  • Size of both RAM and permanent memory

  • Processor and video card parameters

In the "Services" table, we will specify their cost, name, and description.

Of course, our database will cover only a few of the theoretical hosting activities, but for introduction purposes, such a database will be enough.

To create a database, choose "File"->"New Model" in the main menu:

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Now we can move on to creating the database.

Clients

In managed MySQL, table creation is implemented in several ways. We will create the "Clients" table without using the visual model. 

To do this, click "Add Table" in our database menu, after which a menu with settings will open.

  • Table Name;

  • Column Name is our attribute name;

  • Datatype is attribute type (number, time, letters, etc.);

  • PK, NN, UQ, etc. are column constraints. PK stands for primary key, NN stands for Not Null. The rest of the constraints are not important to us yet.

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Servers

We create the "Servers" table in the same way. Here, we will focus on column attributes and their selection.

  • Server ID is a primary key with the Integer type. It is essentially a regular number; in practice, the server ID would be the server number;

  • IP is a set of up to 15 ASCII characters. We assume storage of an IPv4 address, for example 255.255.255.255.255; 

  • RAM, GB is the size of RAM expressed using the Float data type (floating point numbers);

  • Disk space, GB is similar to RAM;

  • Processor and GPU (video card) are where we'll place equipment names with a maximum length of 45 characters.

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Services

For a change, let's create "Services" using the visual functionality of MySQL Workbench. 

To do this, click on the "Add Diagram" button above the name of our database, "mydb."

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Now click on the diagram that will appear, and you'll get to a new tab.

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In the left menu of the "Catalog Tree" we can see the already created "Clients" and "Servers" tables. We can transfer them to the visual diagram:

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To add a new table to the diagram, select "Place a New Table" from the left menu or press "T". 

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By clicking twice on the window that appears, we go to the settings. Our "Services" table will contain the columns "Service ID", "Name", "Description" and "Price".

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Creating relations

The database we are creating is called a relational database. Tables do not exist in a vacuum and are connected to each other: a client rents a certain server or buys a certain service. It is necessary to trace this relationship in our database. 

In practice, it is realized with the help of the foreign key (FK) or foreign key column attribute. FK defines the set of possible column values in a row as those from another table. Suppose we have two tables: "Employees" and "Shifts". "Shifts" has columns "Time" and "Employee (FK)". So, in the column "Employee (FK)," we can put only the employee who is in the table "Employees".   

It is easy to create MySQL links. In order to link two tables, you need to define the type of link between them. Our tables will be linked, but they will not identify each other. In practice, this means that an FK is not a PK. Therefore, we will use the Non-Identifying relationship. Let's move directly to creating the relationships.

Clients-Servers

The linking column here will be the "Server ID". Can the same server be in several clients in our database? Yes, it can, but not at the same time. In order to create such a relationship, we select "Place a New 1:n Non-Identifying Relationship" in the left menu and click first on "Clients" (where the relation goes to) and then on "Servers" (where the relation comes from).

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We have a new column in "Clients," but we would like to link the relation to an existing column. To do this, right-click on "Clients" and select "Edit Clients".

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Then go to the "Foreign Keys" tab below. Here we can select the "Server ID" column as the "Foreign key" and then delete the resulting column. We perform the same procedure with the Clients-Services link and eventually have the following result:

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Views

In the menu on the left, you might have noticed the "Views" section. Views are the display of the required data based on the available tables. For example, you may need information about clients and the cost of services they use. In this case, you will need a View. Let's try to create one. 

First, we need to fill the database with information. To do this, go to the table parameters and the "Inserts" tab. 

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Then fill in the "Servers" and "Clients" in the same way and add a View to the diagram using the "Place a New View" button or the "V" key.

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Double-click on "view1" and in the window that appears, write the SQL query that corresponds to our mapping.

CREATE VIEW `Full Name + Services` AS
SELECT Name, ServiceName, Price From Clients
JOIN Services ON Clients.service_id = Services.service_id;

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But to see the result of the query, we need to connect to the cluster and import our database there.

Connecting to a cluster

The first thing you need is a cluster. We already have one, so we will connect to it. To create a connection, you need to go to the main page and click the plus sign.

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In the window that appears, we will need the following settings:

  • Connection name is useful if there are several connections;

  • Hostname is our cluster IP address;

  • Port is the cluster port. The default is 3306;

  • Username is the name of your account;

  • Password (if available)

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Click "OK," and you will connect to the cluster.

Importing and exporting the database

To work with the database and execute SQL queries, you must first import it into the cluster. To do this, click on the "File" button on the diagram tab and select "Export"->"Forward Engineering SQL CREATE Script" in the pop-up menu.

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Remember to click the checkboxes in the corresponding fields to avoid losing the filled tables. The resulting script will allow us to import the database into the cluster.

Go back to the cluster tab, select "Data Import/Restore" in the "Management" menu.

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Here, we need to select the "Import from Self-Contained File" option, select the script, and click "Start Import".

How to dump a MySQL WorkBench database

To create a dump, you need to click "Data Export" in the "Management" section and select the required parameters.

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We will save the entire database: its logical structure and stored data. To complete the process, click "Start Export".

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned the program's basic functionality, created a small database and imported it to the server. Of course, we could only cover some of the features. But this should be enough to start creating your own MySQL databases from scratch and study this tool more deeply.

MySQL
11.12.2023
Reading time: 7 min

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How to Create a MySQL Database Dump

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Alternatively, you can list the databases you want to include in the dump: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 db_first db_second db_third --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction > just_dump.sql Structure Without Data You can create a dump containing only the database structure (table schemas) without any data by using the --no-data flag: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --no-data --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction > just_dump.sql Specific Tables Instead of dumping an entire MySQL database, you can dump only specific tables by listing their names after the database name: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db table1 table2 --no-data --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction > just_dump.sql On the other hand, you can dump a database excluding specific tables using the --ignore-table parameter: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --ignore-table=default_db.logs --no-data --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction > just_dump.sql Note that the table name must always be preceded by the database name and separated by a dot. To exclude multiple tables, list each one with the --ignore-table option: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --ignore-table=default_db.table1 --ignore-table=default_db.table2 --no-data --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction > just_dump.sql Character Encoding In some cases, it may be necessary to explicitly specify the character encoding for the dump: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction --default-character-set=utf8 > just_dump.sql Typically, UTF-8 is the preferred character encoding. Archiving the Dump Sometimes it’s useful to compress the dump immediately after creation. You can do this by piping the mysqldump output into gzip, then saving the compressed archive: mysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF --single-transaction | gzip > just_dump.sql.gz If you check the current directory with the ls command, you’ll see the compressed dump: just_dump.sql  just_dump.sql.gz  resize.log  snap Restoring Data A database dump is usually created to restore data in the future, for example, in case of data loss or server migration. To load the database dump into MySQL and restore data, use the following command: mysql -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db < just_dump.sql If the dump file size is too large, MySQL may have a default limit that prevents loading it. To adjust the maximum allowed dump size, you can use the --max_allowed_packet flag: mysql -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db --max_allowed_packet=64M < just_dump.sql In this example, the maximum allowed dump size is set to 64 MB. mysql -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 default_db < just_dump.sqlmysqldump -u admin -p'qwerty123' -h 91.206.179.29 -P 3306 --all-databases --no-tablespaces --set-gtid-purged=OFF > just_dump.sql Method 2: Using phpMyAdmin If you're using phpMyAdmin, creating a database dump can be done through the graphical interface without manually executing commands — phpMyAdmin handles everything for you. Log In to phpMyAdmin. Open the phpMyAdmin interface and log in with your credentials.  Select the database. In the left sidebar, choose the database you want to export. This will open a page displaying the list of existing tables within the selected database. Configure the export. Click the Export button. It will take you to a dedicated page to configure the database export (dump). You can also access the export page from the phpMyAdmin home page, but doing so may not display all databases available for export. It's better to first navigate to the specific database and then click Export. Note that phpMyAdmin allows exporting only databases that contain tables. Empty databases cannot be exported. There are two export options in phpMyAdmin: Quick Export. It creates the dump using default export settings. Custom Export. It Allows you to manually configure the export settings, such as excluding specific tables, changing character encoding, and adjusting format options. phpMyAdmin supports exporting to various formats beyond just SQL, such as PDF, JSON, CSV, YAML, and others. The configuration options for creating a dump in phpMyAdmin are more user-friendly and visually intuitive than command-line flags. 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An alternative is to use visual database management tools with graphical interfaces. Utilities like phpMyAdmin or Adminer simplify database interactions by providing a user-friendly and interactive environment. This is particularly useful for those who are not well-versed in SQL syntax, turning tasks such as creating a dump into a series of simple mouse clicks.
13 February 2025 · 12 min to read
MySQL

How to Import and Export Databases in MySQL or MariaDB

Database management is a crucial aspect of Linux server and web application administration. Importing and exporting databases are essential tasks for DevOps and system administrators. At a minimum, developers should know how to back up databases and transfer them between servers. This guide explains how to import and export database dumps in MySQL or MariaDB on a Linux server (using Ubuntu as an example). Working with Databases MySQL and MariaDB are popular relational database management systems (RDBMS) used for storing data in large applications. MariaDB is a fork of MySQL developed by its original creators due to licensing concerns following Oracle's acquisition of MySQL. Both MariaDB and MySQL share identical or similar APIs and operating mechanisms. Creating a Database Connect to MySQL or MariaDB with root privileges: For MySQL: mysql -u root -p   For MariaDB: mariadb -u root -p   Create a database (if it doesn't already exist): CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS <database_name>; Viewing Databases To see the list of available databases: SHOW DATABASES; Switching Databases To switch to a specific database: USE <database_name>; Viewing Tables To list all tables in the selected database: SHOW TABLES; Common SQL Commands Creating a table: CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (  user_id INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,  username VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL); This creates a table named users with fields user_id and username. Inserting data into the table: INSERT INTO users (username) VALUES ('John Doe'); This adds a new row to the users table. Selecting all rows from the table: SELECT * FROM users; Monitoring MySQL/MariaDB status To check the server's global status and statistics: SHOW GLOBAL STATUS; Exporting Databases Exporting data from MySQL or MariaDB can be efficiently done using the mysqldump CLI utility or third-party tools like phpMyAdmin. The mysqldump utility allows you to save your database as an SQL dump, which contains the necessary commands for creating columns and populating them with data. This dump file can be easily managed, imported, or transferred. You will need: A database you want to export. User credentials with at least read access to the database. In the terminal, run the following command: mysqldump -u <username> -p<password> <database_name> > db_dump.SQL Where: -p<password>: Password for the database user (you can omit the password and simply use -p to prompt for it manually). db_dump.SQL: The name of the output dump file. <username>: The privileged user with read access. <database_name>: The name of the database you are exporting. To create dumps from a remote server, add the -h flag: mysqldump -h <ip-address> -u <username> -p<password> <database_name> > db_dump.SQL If the MySQL server uses a non-standard port, specify it with the -P flag: mysqldump -h <ip-address> -P <port> -u <username> -p<password> <database_name> > db_dump.SQL While the default export format is SQL, mysqldump also supports exporting data as CSV, XML, and other formats by configuring additional parameters. The SQL dump typically includes: Information about the RDBMS (MySQL or MariaDB) Commands for creating the required tables and their columns Data to populate those columns By default, it provides a comprehensive snapshot of the database structure and contents, making it an essential tool for database backups and migrations. Importing Data into MySQL or MariaDB To import a database dump, you don’t need mysqldump; a direct call to MySQL will suffice. Run the following command in your terminal: mysql -u <username> -p<password> <new_database_name> < db_dump.SQL Where: -p<password>: The user's password (use -p without the password to be prompted manually). db_dump.SQL: The dump file containing your database data. <username>: A privileged user with write access. <new_database_name>: The name of the target database to which you are importing the dump. If the process completes successfully, there will be no output. If any errors or warnings occur, MySQL or MariaDB will display them. You can check if the import was successful with these commands: SHOW DATABASES;  -- Lists all databasesUSE <database_name>;  -- Selects the target databaseSHOW TABLES;  -- Lists all tables within the selected database By executing these commands, you can confirm that the database structure and data have been imported correctly. Creating a systemd Service for Backup Suppose you want to automate the database backup (export) process. In this guide, we will create a service-timer that will trigger a script for backing up data. A Timer is a mechanism used to schedule the execution of a specific service at a given time or through certain intervals. Follow these steps to set it up: First, connect to the server and create the directory for backup scripts: mkdir -p /usr/bin/backup_scripts  # Create directory for backup scripts Create and open the file /usr/bin/backup_scripts/mysql_backup.sh in any text editor (e.g., nano): nano /usr/bin/backup_scripts/mysql_backup.sh Inside the file, add the following script: TIMESTAMP=$(date +'%F') # Get the current date BACKUP_DIR='<path_to_backup_directory>' MYSQL_USER='<username>' MYSQL_PASSWORD='<password>' DATABASE_NAME='<database_name>' mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR/$TIMESTAMP" # Create directory for this date mysqldump -u $MYSQL_USER -p$MYSQL_PASSWORD $DATABASE_NAME > "$BACKUP_DIR/$TIMESTAMP/$DATABASE_NAME-$TIMESTAMP.sql" # Create dump find "$BACKUP_DIR" -type d -mtime +28 -exec rm -rf {} \; # Delete backups older than 28 days Replace the placeholder variables with the actual backup directory path, MySQL user credentials, and the database name. Grant execution permissions to the script: chmod +x /usr/bin/backup_scripts/mysql_backup.sh Create the service file /etc/systemd/system/mysql-backup.service: sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/mysql-backup.service Add the following content: [Unit] Description=MySQL Database Backup Service [Service] Type=oneshot ExecStart=/usr/bin/backup_scripts/mysql_backup.sh [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target Create the timer file: sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/mysql-backup.timer Add this content to schedule the backup: [Unit] Description=Run MySQL Backup Service Weekly [Timer] OnCalendar=weekly Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=timers.target Reload the systemd configuration, enable the timer for autostart, and start it: systemctl daemon-reload  # Reload systemd configurationsystemctl enable mysql-backup.timer  # Enable timer to start automaticallysystemctl start mysql-backup.timer  # Start the timer Check the status of the timer and ensure it is working: systemctl status mysql-backup.timersystemctl list-timers  # Lists active timers Now, your system will automatically create a backup of the specified database every week. Export and Import via phpMyAdmin You can perform database imports and exports not only through command-line utilities but also through the phpMyAdmin web interface. This method is typically more convenient when the dump size is small (less than 1GB). This section will cover the basic process of importing and exporting databases. Export To export a database: Go to the phpMyAdmin interface and select the desired database from the left-hand panel. Click on the Export tab. Choose export method: Quick Export: Select this if you want a basic export with default settings. Custom Export: Choose this for more specific export options, such as selecting certain tables, formats, or compression methods. Click Export. To export specific tables: Click on the database name in the left sidebar to view its tables. Select the tables you want to export by checking the boxes next to their names. At the bottom of the page, choose Export from the list of actions. On the next page, verify the export format and options, then click Go to save the dump to your local machine. Import The process of importing a database is very similar to exporting. Follow these steps: Open phpMyAdmin and navigate to the database you want to import into. If the database doesn't exist, create it by clicking Create Database from the left sidebar. Inside the database, click on the Import tab. Click the Choose File button to browse for and select the SQL dump file from your device. Choose the necessary options like file encoding, format (typically default settings are fine), and other options as needed. Click Go to start the import process. Once the process is complete, you will see the imported files and their contents listed in the left sidebar. You can also modify them if needed. Conclusion The choice of method depends on your needs: phpMyAdmin is ideal for manually creating backups or for quick access to a database. It’s user-friendly and simple for small-scale tasks. Using command-line utilities would be more efficient and flexible for automation or if you’re transferring infrastructure.
10 February 2025 · 8 min to read

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