Are you looking for some quality tools that can help you manage your MySQL databases efficiently? Here are five such tools that offer plenty of features to make your life as it relates to databases that much easier.
The phpMyAdmin tool was developed to help with the application of MySQL over the Web. Written in PHP, phpMyAdmin has been around for over ten years and has won many awards throughout its history.
If there's one thing phpMyAdmin has, it's a lot of features. The tool supports a host of MySQL features that should suffice for most users, and it all begins with an easy to use interface. Browsing and dropping databases, fields, indexes, tables, and views is possible, and you can also create, copy, drop, rename, and alter databases, tables, fields, and indexes. Management options cover stored procedures and triggers, as well as users and their privileges. SQL statements, including batch-queries, can be executed, edited, and bookmarked. PhpMyAdmin allows you to create complex queries via QBE, PDF graphics of your layout, and even transform your data into a number of formats.
In terms of handling your data, it can be imported from CSV and SQL. Exporting options are numerous and include popular formats such as Word, Excel, CSV, PDF, XML, SQL, and more. Other noteworthy features include global search, an active query monitor, and the capability to administer multiple servers. In addition to its impressive list of features, phpMyAdmin impresses with its ability to be used on a worldwide scale, as it has been translated into 62 languages.
Adminer is a database management tool for MySQL that comes with a ton of features. Written in PHP, you could call Adminer a competitor to the aforementioned phpMyAdmin tool. There are several differences between the two tools, however. Adminer consists of just one file, and it differs from phpMyAdmin in terms of the user experience it provides (some may say it has a cleaner look), the MySQL features it supports, performance, and security.
The entire set of features that come with Adminer are too extensive to list, so here are some of the highlights. You can insert new records, plus update or delete existing ones, add and drop tables and columns, alter the name, type collation, comment, and default values of columns, and more. Any SQL command can be executed from a text field or file as well. Users and their rights can be displayed, with the option existing to change them as needed. Adminer also supports extensions to give you more customization options. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg as to what Adminer has to offer.
Adminer is free for commercial and non-commercial use and has been translated to become available in several different languages.
MySQL Workbench is a tool that has value for a wide variety of users, such as database architects, developers, and database administrators. The main features of MySQL Workbench are divided into three main sectors: design, development, and administration. Each of these sectors corresponds to the aforementioned user roles and are part of what makes this tool effective.
Workbench uses model-driven database design that improves efficiency for database architects in several ways. It allows them to visualize the database parameters and what is needed, and it also allows them to come up with a quick and proper response to any requirements that their clients may have. Since time is usually of the essence, the fact that Workbench enforces best practice and physical design standards when creating new database designs via model and schema validation utilities is key. Workbench enables the forward engineering of physical database designs, as well as the reverse engineering. Other design-related features in Workbench include improved database change management through schema synchronization and comparison utilities, and easy point-and-click database documentation.
Workbench's appeal for developers comes via its various visual tools that help with the creation, editing, and management of SQL queries, connections, and objects. One of the tool's newer development features is its visual SQL editor, which gives developers the power to build, edit, and run queries. In addition, the editor also allows developers to create data, edit it, view the results, and export it for further use. SQL statements can be debugged with ease, and editing data is simple thanks to a table editor. Beyond the visual SQL editor, developers can also count on improved database connections and object management.
Last, but not least, are Workbench's administrative features. The tool employs an intuitive interface to put all the necessary administrative tasks in your grasp. Control over users is extensive, and granting and revoking privileges can be done with ease. Workbench also makes it easy for database administrators to configure servers, view detailed information on server connections and logs, system status, export and import data, and much more.
MySQL Workbench works on the Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. It comes in a Community or Standard version. The Community version is open source, while the Standard version is commercial and comes equipped with extra features, such as schema and model validation, automatic documentation of databases, the ability to publish in HTML or text, and more.
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