content_image/710603.jpg
## Chapter 3 Tutorial 

## Table of Contents 

<img src='content_image/710603.jpg'>

This chapter provides a tutorial introduction to MySQL by showing how to use the mysql  client program to create and use a simple database. mysql  (sometimes referred to as the “terminal monitor”  or just “monitor” ) is an interactive program that enables you to connect to a MySQL server, run queries, and view the results. mysql  may also be used in batch mode: you place your queries in a file beforehand, then tell mysql  to execute the contents of the file. Both ways of using mysql  are covered here. 

To see a list of options provided by mysql , invoke it with the --help  option: 

shell> mysql --help 

This chapter assumes that mysql  is installed on your machine and that a MySQL server is available to which you can connect. If this is not true, contact your MySQL administrator. (If you  are the administrator, you need to consult the relevant portions of this manual, such as Chapter 5, MySQL Server Administration .) 

This chapter describes the entire process of setting up and using a database. If you are interested only in accessing an existing database, you may want to skip the sections that describe how to create the database and the tables it contains. 

Because this chapter is tutorial in nature, many details are necessarily omitted. Consult the relevant sections of the manual for more information on the topics covered here. 

## 3.1 Connecting to and Disconnecting from the Server 

To connect to the server, you usually need to provide a MySQL user name when you invoke mysql  and, most likely, a password. If the server runs on a machine other than the one where you log in, you must also specify a host name. Contact your administrator to find out what connection parameters you should use to 

