Using WinMySQL Professional

New MySQL® table from dBaseIII+®

Only accessible when connected, this feature is designed to allow office automation users to easily create their MySQL® database on a server, using their office automation knowledge and tools, or reusing their databases already designed. Indeed, many people know how to create a table with Microsoft® Access® or Microsoft® Excel® but don't have time to learn MySQL® ; then, WinMySQL Professional becomes their gateway.

WinMySQL Professional had chosen the dBaseIII+® format because it is the most famous datafile format around the world, so, it is recognized by quite any office automation software which processes data.

This feature doesn't create tables sharp than with submenu «New>MySQL® table» because of the use of very common column types, but makes it faster and easier. These common column types represent the widest need in the database domain. Anyway, it will be possible to alter the created structures with the «Table management» menu functions.

In addition with the easy tables creation feature, WinMySQL Professional may insert, if you wish, all the records found in the dBaseIII+® template table, into the MySQL® created table.

How to create a MySQL® table with Microsoft® Access® or with Microsoft® Excel® ?

In Microsoft® Access® or Microsoft® Excel®, you design your database and simply save a copy of it on «DBF» format files (in fact, one dBaseIII+® file per table).

In WinMySQL Professional, invoke the «New MySQL® table from dBaseIII+®» submenu. An open file screen appears and requires to choose a «DBF» file. Change directory to go where you have stored your «DBF» files and select the first that you want to process.

Then, the table structure is displayed in the output grid and WinMySQL Professional asks several questions :

• In addition with the table creation, you may want to insert the records held in the «DBF» file : if you answer «yes», it loads, first, the records into the grid.

• You may want that the first column becomes a primary key.

• And to complete the operation, it requires a confirmation to process.

Proceed to these procedures for all your database tables.

Transtyping

When WinMySQL Professional must create a column with an unknown type for MySQL® (example : «Logic») then it converts into a similar MySQL® type. For instance :

1. «Logic» for dBaseIII+® becomes «enum('true','false')» for MySQL®.

2. «Memo» for dBaseIII+® becomes «longtext» for MySQL®.

3. etc ...

To optimize data storage into the MySQL® database, the dBaseIII+® type «char» is transtyped to the «varchar» MySQL® type.