Previously when MySQL Workbench was not around, here’s how most newbie would approach designing their db schema.
- Type all the necessary command in mysql command prompt
- Or if you’re a bit more advance, you would use phpmyadmin to design
- Draw EER/ERD diagrams on paper or in dumb software (software which just show graphics and know nothing about how to connect to your db server to CRUD any data).
Enter MySQL Workbench.
You get to define your physical schemata and get a high level view of your model
Designing your EER/ERD diagrams
And here’s what I reckon is the most useful part. You can:
- reverse engineer existing database to get their database tables + structure
- forward engineer your designed model into your database
- sync the model between what’s in your MySQL Workbench model and with your local, test or production database server
Syncing between models has to be one of my favorite features
And best of all, it’s free!
In fact, I will never ever design a mysql db model without using MySQL Workbench anymore. After designing a model, you can always save your design (*.mwb) (backup!) so even if your whole database server crashes or you mistakenly drop your whole db, you can still restore your design using MySQL Workbench!
Have fun modelling 🙂
MySQL Workbench says
Hi David,
Thanks for using and blogging about MySQL Workbench. Let us know what you want to see on our roadmap.
http://forums.mysql.com/index.php?151
– MySQL Workbench
April Smith says
Hi,
Nice article. I am wondering about configuring any options for this?
For example, on my development env. the DB name is different than the the production environment even though the schema & structures are the same…
How can I use workbench to synchronize say:
Localhost: myDatabaseName
Production: username_myDatabaseName
? Any ideas? Any help on this would be really appreciated. I am interested in synchronizing the schemas but I still want them to be named differently. Thanks so much for the aticle and sharing your knowledge.
David says
I understand what you’re after but can’t find a way to do that either on my side. If someone is reading this, please leave a comment or reference link to wherever the solution might be, thanks.
grabriel says
Hi,
This is a well known problem check the ticket here :
http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=45533
This ‘ll be fix in WB 6.0 (maybe 🙂 )
The problem was reported first more than one year ago.