This is a quick-start MySQL tutorial. You’ll create a simple database and do some useful read / write operations.
Step 1. Download MySQL
Download MySQL from mysql.com → downloads → Take me to the community downloads! → Scroll down to Windows downloads → Windows Essentials (x86) → Pick a mirror → No thanks, just take me to the downloads → Greece [National Technical University of Athens] HTTP → mysql-essential-5.1.31-win32.msi
Step 2. Install MySQL
Installing MySQL is very easy. Just follow the steps one-by-one. After installation completes, make sure to select the option “Configure the MySQL Server now” and click “Finish”.
In the configuration wizard keep pressing next until you the dialog about character encoding. Here, you should choose “Best Support For Multilingualism”.
Press next; the last important setting is about security. Provide a root password and write it on a paper.
Step 3. Start MySQL
In order to start using MySQL go to Start → Programs → MySQL → MySQL Server 5.1 → MySQL Command Line Client → and give the root password from the previous step.
To start MySQL in an older version of Windows (e.g. ME) go to Start → Run and write "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqld" --console. Then go to Start → Programs → MySQL → MySQL Server 5.1 → MySQL Command Line Client → and give the root password.
Step 4. Create a database
To create a database in MySQL just type:
create database hello;
For confirmation state
show databases;
and then:
use hello;
Step 5. Create a table
This simple database is about persons. For every person we are interested about 1. the name, 2. the age and 3. a unique number (identifier).
To create a table in MySQL write
CREATE TABLE persons (name VARCHAR(255), age SMALLINT, id BIGINT AUTO_INCREMENT, primary key (id));
To confirm write,
show tables;
Displaying the tables of a database
and then:
describe persons;
Step 6. Store information (insert data)
To insert some data to your table simply say:
INSERT INTO persons (name, age) VALUES ('Michael Jordan', 45);
Let’s store Jennifer Lopez also:
INSERT INTO persons (name, age) VALUES ('JLo', 39);
How about Al Pacino?
INSERT INTO persons (name, age) VALUES ('Al Pacino', 68);
Step 7. Get information (select data)
To get all persons:
SELECT * FROM persons;
Selecting the data of a table
To get all persons that are older than 50 years:
SELECT * FROM persons WHERE age > 50;
To get all ‘Michaels’:
SELECT * FROM persons WHERE name LIKE '%Michael%';
Step 8. Change some info (update data)
We have the business requirement to change the age of Jennifer Lopez! To accomplish this task, we may use her id,
UPDATE persons SET age = 29 WHERE id = 2;
or directly her name:
UPDATE persons SET age = 29 WHERE name = 'JLo';
To confirm that her age is now proper:
SELECT * FROM persons;
Updating a value in the table
Step 9. Exit MySQL
To exit MySQL simply type
exit
To shut down MySQL in older versions of Windows (e.g. ME) go to Start → Run
and write "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqladmin" shutdown
All the action about MySQL is at mysql.com. Finally, you may get more info about SQL at w3schools.com.
