Software Information |
MySQL for Beginners - How to Create a MySQL Database
Whether you are an experienced web programmer or a complete novice attempting to provide data interactivity with your web site, MyQSL is an easy to use and free database solution that can allow you to store and configure data to be displayed on your web site. The best way to create and manage a MySQL database is to download an open source (free) program called PhpMyAdmin. PHPMyAdmin allows you to manage all aspects of both your database structure and data from one easy to use interface. This tool is intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web. This tool provides an interface that allows you to create and drop databases, create, drop, or alter tables, delete, edit, or add fields, execute any SQL statement, manage keys on fields, manage privileges, and import and export data into various formats. That sounds like a complicated set of activities, but the easy to use graphical tools make things quite simple and easy to understand. If you make a mistake, the software even provides instructions on where you made your error. For a complete demo see: http://www.phpmyadmin.net/phpMyAdmin/ Most Linux based web hosting companies provide PhpMyAdmin as a standard feature with their packages. It is also available in a "Windows" IIS version. If your hosting provider does not already have this product installed they will often install it for you, or even allow you to install it yourself. Setup is quick and easy if you follow the step-by-step installation documentation. Step One: Creating your new database When you log in to your PhpMyAdmin welcome page, the first step is to enter a name for your new database in a text box provided. You can name your database anything that you wish, however if you are creating the database to use with a script or software package that you purchased somewhere, the script provider will often suggest a "preferred" database name. You should always create your database using the following format: username_ databasename Your complete database name should always begin with your username followed by an underscore, then followed by the database name. This allows the server to know which user is in control of the new database, and it will also provide permission to access the database to only specific users. This also allows different users on the same server to use the same name for their own database, as you did, without interfering with your data - that is helpful if more than one user on your server bought similar software for their own site. They can then also use the software providers "preferred" database name. Step Two: Creating a table for your new database After you have created a database, the next step is to create a table, or even multiple tables, for you to store data. A table is the part of your new database that actually stores data. You create a table by selecting the database that you created from the drop box list of databases. Once a database is selected a new form appears and asks for you to create a new table. You must decide what you want to name your table and enter that name into the name box. Try to choose a name that reflects the type of data that will be stored in the table, such as orders, users, or inventory. You then must decide how many "fields" or columns of data that you want to store for each record. If you need for the table to store five (5) different items, such as username, users email address, users telephone number, users account number, and the users age, than you would need five (5) fields. Simply enter the number 5 in the appropriate box. Once you hit create, the system will create a table and will add those fields into the table for you. Don't worry about the number of fields you might need right now, as you can always add or delete fields later. Step Three: Defining Fields Once you have created your table you will be prompted to tell the database what features that you want each field to have. This looks complicated, but it's not if you select your data type from the information below. You basically have to decide between three common data types and select the best choice for storing your data. If you make a mistake you can go back and edit the field. If the field is to be used to store numbers, here are some choices: TINYINT - A very small integer. The signed range is -128 to 127. Some other less common number options include: FLOAT- A floating-point number. If the field is to be used to store text or both text and numbers combined, here are some choices: VARCHAR is for varying characters and can be up to 255 characters in length. If the field is to be used to store dates, here are some choices: DATE - A date. Once you have selected the data type for your fileds you will need to let the system know how many characters that you will need to store in the field. Example: if you are storing a username, you might want to select VARCHAR as your data type and allow up to 100 characters for that field. If you are creating a User Identification number you might want to select INT and allow up to six characters - that would allow you to have up to 999,999 users. The last step to creating your data fields is to select any special attributes that you may find helpful.Some examples are: Auto Increment: Auto-Increment fields are useful for assigning unique identification numbers for users, products, and customers, etc. By default, fields are incremented using number characters (like "1", "2"). Primary Key: The primary key is a data column that uniquely identifies a specific instance of that data. At least one of your fields must be a Primary Key. Username is an example of a good primary key. You do not want to have more than one individual having the same username. Index Key: Allows you to speed up searches by designating a field as a preferred data source, especially when combining data from multiple tables. Congratulations, once you have completed these steps you are ready to import data into your new database. Don Beavers lives in Bryan/College Station, Texas and is an enterprise level PHP-MySQL programmer at both the Shopping Elf Shopping Guide and the Datavor Web Directory.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Fleet Maintenance Software? Simply put, fleet maintenance allows companies to monitor and maintain their fleets of commercial vehicles more efficiently.Fleet maintenance requires a great deal of organization and management skills. Crystal Reports For Microsoft Navision - Overview For Programmer/IT Specialist Let us give you - developer some hints in the report creation.C/SIDE database - use C/ODBC to create the connection for your Crystal Report. Assertion in Java Assertion facility is added in J2SE 1.4. What is Shareware? Shareware is software that you can try before you buy; shareware is a kind of marketing method for software. Software developers post trial versions of their software on websites. Microsoft Great Plains Data Conversion - Overview For Developer Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind it. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. Microsoft Great Plains Accounting/ERP Implementation - Finance Industry Customization Example Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very generic accounting application out of the box and has multiple modules to address specific horizontal or vertical market requirements. At the same time Great Plains, now being moved on MS SQL Server platform allows you to deploy standard tools to customize and fit to these requirements, when you don't need rich custom functionality, just few touches. Navision Attain Database access via C/ODBC in ASP.NET Application Navision Software was purchased by Microsoft and now it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions together with Microsoft Great Plains, Axapta, Solomon, Microsoft Retail Management System and Microsoft CRM. Navision has extremely strong position on mid-size European and US markets, plus it has excellent manufacturing solution. Corporate ERP: Standard vs. Rich functionality - Microsoft Great Plains Traditionally we were considering functionally rich systems, such as SAP, Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards as the fit for large publicly traded corporation. There might be multiple opinions for the future corporate ERP/MRP systems. A Time-Saving Programming Tactic that Doesn't Work Let's say that you have a software project that's under severe time pressure. Let's say that this deadline is so tight that you already know it will involve many late nights of black coffee and frenetic programming. Increase Office Efficiency With One Simple Tool When you need a phone number, you do a quick search on the Internet and in a few seconds, you've got the information you need. And you probably receive a lot of contact information right inside the emails you receive every day. Create A Flash Presentation For Free With Open Office The intentions of this short tutorial are not to teach you how to use Open Office, but rather to show you a quick and dirty way to create presentations and tutorials that can be exported as a Macromedai Flash file.What is Open Office? It is a free, open source, cross platform office suite that has a lot of the same features as popular commercial suites. Reloading Windows XP If you have been running Windows XP for a couple of years or more you may find that it is not running quite as quickly and smoothly as it was when you did your first install. I am constantly 'evaluating' software and uninstalling and reinstalling beta software on my computer and have always gradually become more and more disappointed after nine months to a year with the performance of my PC. Microsoft Great Plains implementation: Restaurants Supply Chain Management Example Microsoft Great Plains serves majority of US based horizontal and vertical markets. Being relatively flexible and customizable - it can fit your specific business requirements with light or deep customization. Will Adobe Manage to Replace Industry Work Horse Quark Express by Giving Adobe InDesign for Free? Heard about the Quark "killer"?Adobe InDesign CS2. Will it really "kill" Quark? Adobe has been saying "it will" for the last six years or so, but it hasn't happened. Microsoft Blues With the advent of 'Service Pack 2' for Windows XP operating system, Microsoft have really made the forums hum.Every forum on computer problems is replete with complaints that since downloading and installing 'SP2', many 'third party' applications don't work. Microsoft Great Plains Project Accounting - Overview For IT Director/Controller Microsoft Business Solutions is now in process of creating so called Microsoft Suites: Microsoft Financials, Microsoft Logistics, Microsoft Manufacturing, Microsoft Professional Services - this last one will be based on Solomon Project module. The long story of Great Plains Software Project Accounting - it was originally created by MatchData, which was bought by Great Plains in late 1990-th and renamed into Great Plains Project Accounting. IT Department Skills to Support Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft CRM Microsoft Great Plains as ERP and Microsoft CRM as Client Relation Management system is very robust combination and could serve midsize to large corporation as Business System. Being VP IT or IT Director you need to foresee the positions to have in your IT department to do internal MS Great Plains and MS CRM support. Windows Screensavers Explained In this article you will find some background information about screensavers and their history. You will also learn how Windows screensavers differ from other programs and how you can use it to your own advantage. Microsoft RMS Customization - PO Items Receiving in Great Plains Microsoft Retail Management (RMS) and Microsoft Great Plains are retail and accounting/ERP solutions coming from the same Microsoft subdivision - Microsoft Business Solutions. There is often common need to do integration between the two. IT Strategy for Large Corporation: ERP/MRP/CRM, Unix/Linux/Windows, Microsoft/Java Combining Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains ERP with non-Microsoft Business System or CRM: Lotus Notes Domino, Oracle, DB2There are multiple opinions on building your established large business IT system. Some companies prefer to be "Microsoft shop", others prefer to stick to Java world. |
home | site map | contact us |