1. Connecting to and Disconnecting from the Server

To connect to the MySQL server, provide the host name (db_host), user name (db_user), and enter the password when prompted. Adjust values based on your setup:

$> mysql -h db_host -u db_user -p
Enter password: ********

After successful connection, to disconnect, use the QUIT command at the MySQL prompt:

mysql> QUIT
Bye

2. Creating and Using Databases

To list existing databases on the server, use:

SHOW DATABASES;

To access an existing database (e.g., test), use:

USE test;

Note: The USE statement does not require a semicolon and can be written on a single line. If you have permissions, create a database (e.g., animal_db) and grant access:

CREATE DATABASE animal_db;
GRANT ALL ON animal_db.* TO 'db_user'@'client_host';

Here, db_user is your MySQL username, and client_host is the host you connect from.

On Unix systems, database and table names are case-sensitive (unlike SQL keywords). Always use consistent casing, e.g., menagerie (not Menagerie or MENAGERIE).

To create a data base named menagerie (adhering to case rules):

mysql> CREATE DATABASE menagerie;

3. Creating a Table

To create a table (e.g., pets) with columns for pet details, use the CREATE TABLE statement. For example:

mysql> CREATE TABLE pets (
    name VARCHAR(25),
    owner VARCHAR(25),
    species VARCHAR(25),
    gender CHAR(1),
    birth_date DATE,
    death_date DATE
);

This table includes fields like:

• name: The pet’s name (stored as a string up to 25 characters)
• owner: The pet’s owner (string, 25 characters max)
• species: The animal species (e.g., 'dog', 'cat')
• gender: The pet’s gender (single character, e.g., 'm' or 'f')
• birth_date: Date of birth
• death_date: Date of death (if applicable)