Mastering phpMyAdmin 2.11

I am the sole person responsible for seven websites that use MySQL databases, and have worked on the back end of several others. Over the years I have worked on these databases in many different ways. I’ve done it from the command line, via ssh. I’ve done it using PHP scripts within the software being run on a site. I have also used phpMyAdmin. Each method has applications and moments where I would prefer using it to the others at my disposal.

I have generally used phpMyAdmin only in those moments when I had something quick and simple to do, or when a hosting company did not provide ssh or command line access. This was mainly because I did not realize how powerful and flexible the software can be.

I just read a book called Mastering phpMyAdmin 2.11.

I didn’t realize how amazingly easy it is to configure this program, and how much you can do with phpMyAdmin. The book starts with the basic foundation of installation and initial configuration, then walks you through the steps of using it in your unique setting. The author makes a note of default settings as well as some that are likely preset to other options by web hosting providers. It clearly outlines how to change those defaults if you are using the software on a server you own or control.

Mastering phpMyAdmin is clearly written, using easy to comprehend examples, with a chapter structure that begins without the need for previous knowledge and takes you to uses and procedures that are far beyond the needs of most of us. That’s cool! It is always my preference to have more information at my disposal than I am likely to need, rather than the other way around. With this book, I can’t imagine needing to look up any other documentation source to figure out how to create, manipulate, check, repair, backup, restore, optimize, or otherwise interact with a MySQL database.

It is my opinion that this book would be very helpful to people who are completely new to database and website administration, who perhaps already have access to phpMyAdmin through their web hosting provider through cPanel or Plesk, or have the permissions on the server to install it themselves. As an intermediate (definitely not guru-level) admin, I found the book a helpful and enjoyable way to discover new uses for the software as well as new ways to configure it to remove limitations I had previously encountered, such as only being able to import sql files smaller than 2 Mb. If that sounds interesting, take a look at the book info on the publisher’s website or persue a copy at your local bookstore.