Many times, we do not want duplicate rows or values in our SQL tables. On the other hand, in some situations, it does not matter if there are duplicates present. For whatever reason, suppose duplicates have found their way into one of your tables. How can you find them quickly and easily? The ROW_NUMBER() Window function is a fantastic tool to use. Continue reading and see example queries you can apply to your own tables and find those duplicates…

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These days, I mostly program in PHP with MySQL as the database, which is just fine by me. I have had a long-time interest in MySQL (SQL in general), and after several steady months of programming in PHP, I must say I have really come into the language and developed a fondness for it. All that being said, I still enjoy using and learning the MySQL Shell in Python mode. As Database Developers, we often need the LAST INSERT ID value from a previous INSERT statement on a column that has the AUTO_INCREMENT attribute. MySQL Shell has a get_auto_increment_value() method we can call against a Shell object result and retrieve that value. Continue reading and see examples of the MySQL Shell get_auto_increment_value() method used in Python mode…

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Like always I am sharing new things I learn here on my blog. I was recently working on a requirement for a LAMP stack web application reporting dashboard in which I needed to store – and eventually – retrieve a .pdf file. I have read in several places (this fantastic book is a great resource) that a viable option is storing images or documents (.pdf in this case) in the actual database table as opposed to on the server file system. MySQL has the BLOB datatype that can be used to store files such as .pdf, .jpg, .txt, and the like. In this blog post, I cover how I accomplished uploading and storing the actual .pdf file in a BLOB column in MySQL using PHP. Any corrections, tips, pointers, and recommendations for best practices are always welcome. We all learn as we go!!!

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The MySQL UNIQUE constraint is often used in a column definition in which we need each value for that column to be distinct from the others. Perhaps it is an email column for an on-line registration form and we want to ensure that users cannot register twice for an account using the same email. Whatever the case may be, UNIQUE is there to help us ensure this type of data integrity or business requirement. What if the target table already exists and you determine you need to add a UNIQUE constraint to an existing column? In this post, I will cover 2 ways you can implement a UNIQUE constraint on existing columns using the phpMyAdmin web interface…

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I recently watched a fantastic Python Pandas library tutorial series on YouTube. Without a doubt, Pandas is great for all sorts of data stuff. On the same token, MySQL Shell in Python mode is quite powerful in the sense that Python and the MySQL Shell (version >= 8.0) are somewhat united in the same environment. Although Pandas is in a league all its own when it comes to data analysis, between the power of MySQL and Python, we can also perform some basic analysis easily in MySQL Shell Python mode. In this blog post, I will cover some basic data analysis using Python mode in the MySQL Shell. Continue reading to see examples…

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Using the MySQL ALTER TABLE command, you can easily change an existing columns’ name and datatype. With just a few clicks, you can do the same in the phpMyAdmin visual web interface. For many developers, this interface is the one they lean on most while programming so it can’t hurt to know how to do it yourself should you find yourself programming in this environment…

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Suppose we have a table with these 3 columns:

• id
• title
• grade

Our goal is to rename the title column to paper_title and to also change the datatype …

There may come a time you need to rename one or more columns in an existing MySQL table for a variety of reasons. Using ALTER TABLE, to rename a column is an easy enough command. But, suppose there are multiple tables in the same database/schema that have the same-named column and all of those columns need to be renamed. That could be a lot of ALTER TABLE statements to type out. Save your energy and time, avoiding all of those ALTER TABLE commands all-together. If you are lucky enough to be working with a MySQL version > 8.0 then the Shell is your salvation. With just a few lines of Python code in \py mode, all of your trouble(s) and headache(s) are no more…

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Date and time values are some of the most important datatypes in an RDBMS. From tracking order dates to payroll hours, DATE and DATETIME datatypes are used in all types of applications. At times as a Developer, you may need only certain portions of a DATE or DATETIME value. In MySQL, the EXTRACT() function can provide you with a specific component of a DATE or DATETIME value depending on which INTERVAL is given as a parameter. Continue reading to see example EXTRACT() queries for understanding…

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Have you ever had to type out a massive CREATE TABLE statement by hand? One with dozens of columns? Maybe several dozens of columns? There are likely some GUI tools to help with large CREATE TABLE commands. Or, other drag-n-drop types of software that I am not familiar with. What if you could write a few lines of Python code and take care of a huge CREATE TABLE statement with way less effort than typed manually? Interested? Continue reading and see how using pandas, pyodbc, and MySQL…

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• OpenSuse Leap 15.1
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If you are a developer working in a MySQL environment, this blog post is for you. I share 3 MySQL commands or statements that you should know. That is a bold statement, I know. Turns out, once you do know (of) these commands, you will use them all the time. They minimize guesswork which leads to better productivity in other facets of your programming and querying workflow. I use them myself almost daily and am sure you will too once you see how simple they are to use. So why should you know them? Continue reading and find out…

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• OpenSuse Leap 15.1
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