MySQL Workbench for working with MySQL Servers
MySQL Workbench provides a graphical tool for working with MySQL Servers and
databases. It fully supports MySQL Server versions 5.1 and above.
It is also compatible with MySQL Server 5.0, but not every feature of 5.0 may be
supported. It does not support MySQL Server versions 4.x.
MySQL Workbench provides three main areas of functionality: -
SQL Development: This module enables you to create and manage connections to database servers. As well as enabling you to configure connection parameters, MySQL Workbench provides the capability to execute SQL queries on the database connections using the built-in SQL Editor. This functionality replaces that previously provided by the Query Browser standalone application.
-
Data Modeling: This module enables you to create
models of your database schema graphically, you can reverse and forward engineer between
a schema and a live database, and edit all aspects of your database using the
comprehensive Table Editor. The Table Editor provides easy-to-use facilities for
editing Tables, Columns, Indexes, Triggers, Partitioning, Options, Inserts and
Privileges, Routines and Views.
- Server Administration: This module enables you to create and administer server instances.
MySQL Workbench is available in two editions, the Community Edition and the
Standard Edition. The Community Edition is available free of charge. The
Standard Edition provides additional Enterprise features, such as database
documentation generation, at low cost.
MySQL Workbench Editions
The Community Edition (OSS)
The Community Edition is the foundation of all MySQL Workbench
editions—versions that are currently available or those that will become
available in the future. All editions of MySQL Workbench are based on the
Community Edition and all future improvements to the base framework and feature
set will be included in this version. The Community Edition is a full feature
product that puts a powerful database management tool into the hands of the
MySQL community.
The Standard Edition
The Standard Edition is a commercial extension that builds on top of the OSS
Edition and adds modules and plugins, enabling an optimized work flow. The
highlights of this edition are:
-
MySQL Specific Schema Validation
-
Model Validation
-
General Schema Validation
- DBDoc
DBDoc provides the following features:
-
Document complex database schemata
-
Document all SQL object types
- Document output available in different file formats
A comparison of edition features can be found at MySQL Workbench Developer
Central.
MySQL Workbench is available for the following platforms:
-
Windows
-
Linux
- Mac OS X
Binary distributions of MySQL Workbench are available for the preceding
platforms. Source code distributions are also available as a
tar.gz package or an RPM package.
The following sections explain the installation process for each of these
platforms.