Head First SQL

Appendix A. Leftovers: The Top Ten Topics (we didn’t cover)

Even after all that, there’s a bit more. There are just a few more things we think you need to know. We wouldn’t feel right about ignoring them, even though they only need a brief mention. So before you put the book down, take a read through these short but important SQL tidbits. Besides, once you’re done here, all that’s left is another two appendixes... and the index... and maybe some ads... and then you’re really done. We promise!

#1. Get a GUI for your RDBMS

While it’s important to be able to code your SQL directly into a console, you know what you’re doing now. You deserve an easier way to create your tables and see the contents of them.

Every RDBMS has some sort of graphical user interface associated with it. Here’s a brief rundown of the GUI tools available for MySQL.

MySQL GUI tools

When you download MySQL, you can also download the MySQL GUI tools, and most importantly, MySQL Administrator. You can get the bundle directly from this page:

http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/gui-tools/5.0.html

It’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The MySQL Administrator allows you to easily view, create, and modify your databses and tables.

You’ll also like the MySQL Query Browser. There, you can type your queries and see the results inside the software interface, rather than in a console window.

Other GUI tools

There ...