A nice alternative for working with SQL and MySQL databases called HeidiSQL. The utility is a donationware and the creator of the tool, Ansgar Becker provides it as an OpenSource – free utility. A very handy IMHO as you can create and save several logins/passwords within the utility as you probably manage several SQL or MySQL dbs.
I think that there is a slight learning curve of the utility as its beefed with many many functions. I quickly saw an export as sql file possibility which is handy before anything goes wrong.
There are 32 bit version as well as 64bit versions of the utility. A Portable version exists as well in case you want to carry the tool on your USB stick only.
Quote from HeidiSQL.com site:
HeidiSQL is an easy-to-use interface and a “working-horse” for web-developers using the popular MySQL-Database. It allows you to manage and browse your databases and tables from an intuitive Windows interface.
It enables you to browse and edit data, create and edit tables, views, procedures, triggers and scheduled events. Also, you can export structure and data either to SQL file, clipboard or to other servers.
System Requirements:
- HeidiSQL runs fine on Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8) and – with Wine – on any Linux and newer MacOS X versions.
- If you're using Windows 64 bit and if you have a 32bit version installed in C:\Program Files (x86)\…, then the 64bit version is installed separately, and can be uninstalled separately. You should uninstall the 32bit version in that case.
A quick screenshot showing connection to Microsoft SQL database:
Features List:
- Free for everyone, OpenSource.
- Connect to multiple servers in one window
- Connect to servers via commandline
- Connect via SSH tunnel, or pass SSL settings
- Create and edit tables, views, stored routines, triggers and scheduled events.
- Generate nice SQL-exports, compress these afterwards, or put them on the clipboard.
- Export from one server/database directly to another server/database
- Manage user-privileges
- Import text-files
- Export table rows as CSV, HTML, XML, SQL, LaTeX, Wiki Markup and PHP Array
- Browse and edit table-data using a comfortable grid
- Bulk edit tables (move to db, change engine, collation etc.)
- Batch-insert ascii or binary files into tables
- Write queries with customizable syntax-highlighting and code-completion
- Pretty reformat disordered SQL
- Monitor and kill client-processes
- Find specific text in all tables of all databases of one server
- Optimize and repair tables in a batch manner
- Launch a parallel mysql.exe command line window using your current connection settings
The tool can be downloaded from this page here.