MYSQL HOWTO

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MYSQL GUI

http://unix.cs.plattsburgh.edu:8008/phpmyadmin/
provides a GUI to mysql.
Be aware that this GUI has a limited capability,
and it is important to learn SQL, so that
we can later embed SQL in programs external to the DBMS. 

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MYSQL TEXT BASED INTERFACE

To run mysql client execute these commands in the shell:
1. ssh unix.cs.plattsburgh.edu
2. export EDITOR=pico
   mysql -u DBUSERNAME -D DBNAME -p
   OR JUST:
   mysql.
   (The dot following mysql is a part of the custom command name.)

Your DBUSERNAME and DBNAME have been set to be the same 
as your Linux username.
Ask the instructor for your database password.

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HELP ON MYSQL

To get help on mysql use any of the following
1. shell$  man mysql
2. shell$  mysql --help
3. mysql> help
4. www.mysql.com 
   notice that we run MySQL 5.0.

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MYSQL FEATURES TO FACILITATE WORK

Try the following:
1. (First type in the shell: export EDITOR=pico)
   mysql> edit
   This puts the previous command into an editor.
   You can modify it. After you exit the editor, type
   the semicolon to execute the command.
2. mysql> system COMMAND 
   executes an operating system command COMMAND from the MySQL prompt.
3. Test your commands in the interactive mode.
   Once they work the way you intended,
   type them into a file FILE.sql.
   You will be able to execute this file from mysql     
   mysql> source FILE.sql
4. mysql> tee sql.log
   This logs the session to file sql.log
   mysql> notee
   This ends the logging.
5. Use "exit" or "quit" commands to leave mysql.

The same features are available in other relational database management
systems (Postgres, Oracle, SQL Server, ...) but may require a
different syntax.

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ABOUT SQL

1. SQL, prenounced "sequel", is the standard language for creating, 
   manipulating and querying relational databases. 
   The same core SQL language is used in MySQL, Postgres, Oracle and SQL Server
   but these different implementations extend core SQL in different ways.
2. SQL is case insensitive; however table names in MYSQL are case sensitive;
   Attribute names and keywords are not.
3. Every SQL statement ends with a semicolon.
4. Use the "commit" command to preserve your changes 
   or "rollback" command to undo them.
   Commit or rollback end a transaction and start a new one;
   once you committed to a change, you cannot rollback that change.
5. See http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp tutorial.

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