Databases

MySQL database structure can be viewed with applications like phpMyAdmin, but it takes a special login and only shows you one table structure at a time. Sometimes, as in planning data migration projects, you really need to see all the tables at one time, with all their field names and structure attributes.

There are mysql commands like SHOW COLUMNS, DESCRIBE and INFORMATION_SCHEMA, but these generally require help from a database pro, and you don't always have one of those handy.

So, I've written a MySQL database structure script that you can download for free, that will give you dynamic structure reports of all your database tables in a single view.

Remember, when planning migrations from Windows platforms and even some other -x type databases, that not all field types are equal. For instance, the variable string type of MS SQL can exceed the varchar limit of 255 in MySQL.

Your best bet is to hire a pro, like (ahem..), yours truly. But even then, it can help if you understand what is happening with your data, and to that end, I hope this script will come in handy.

Before running it, be sure and replace the variables in the first few lines.

Examle:

$dbhost = 'localhost';
$dbuser = 'dbusername';
$dbpass = 'dbpassword';
$dbname = 'dbname';

The first variable - $dbhost, will likely remain "localhost", but in the other three you will need to replace the values between the quotes with your database user name, password and database name, respectively.

OK, here's the sample page for your dynamic MySQL Database Structure Script. This particular page is static (we don't really want to give out our own database structure), but it was made by the mysql dynamic structure script, so you can see what your results will resemble. There is a download link in the top right corner of that page where you can download (for free) your own copy of this script to run on your web server.

Migrating from SQL to MySQL

Why migrate from Microsoft SQL to MySQL? Often times a client with an expensive eCommerce application hosted on a pricey Windows server, will learn about Joomla and Virtuemart and want to migrate his website to inexpensive Linux hosting. After all, times are tough, so why throw away good money if you're not getting any advantage with the extra expense?

But most web professionals don't know how to migrate Microsoft SQL databases to MySQL, meaning that the client will have to manually re-enter all his product and customer info, or pay a developer to write scripts to set things up from an Excel data file, etc.

Surprisingly, according to posts I've seen while Googling this topic, even large hosting companies like GoDaddy, can't help with SQL migration from .bak files to MySQL or even other Windows servers with MS SQL databases!

Migrations from Windows servers to Linux servers often occur huge expense and investment in time, which means the move may take years to pay off. So, imagine my client's surprise when he learned that our promise of a free website move for customers hosting on our servers, includes free migration from MS SQL to MySQL database! (Any altering of the data or database structure to match the needs of new applications, is billable though.)

Some data fields cannot be easily migrated, such as where a credit card field has been encrypted and the client is no longer on good terms with his former developer. In such cases, if the key is not obvious in the code, those data fields cannot be migrated. But that still leaves ninety-nine percent of the data that can be successfully migrated, saving a ton of money and / or time. And it's not that big a deal for customers to have to re-enter credit card info when making a purchase.

So, if you're thinking about moving off of that expensive Windows web server and needing to migrate from MS SQL to MySQL databases, then you need to talk to me.

Are You Playing Russian Roulette?

I'm always surprised when I get a call from a new client who has just had a database failure, because all too often they either have no data backup or we discover that their backups have been done incorrectly and the data is jumbled or even useless.

In a couple of cases, the companies had decent backup procedures except that the backups were done in-house, so that a single disgruntled employee could destroy it all - database and backups.

At CompuSolver, we can offer automated, off-site backups so that a copy goes to you and we keep a copy here. The cost is low and so is the stress level.

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