phpMyAdmin Tutorials

Database Backup

phpMyAdmin is intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the web.

Access phpMyAdmin

To access phpMyAdmin, follow the directions listed on the Access phpMyAdmin tutorial. Then continue with the directions below to restore a database.

Backup Database

In the phpMyAdmin window that appears, click the name of your database in the left pane (just under the icons). Click the Export tab (along the top, in the right frame). Select all the table you wish to backup from the list box (Use the Control (or Apple) key to select multiple tables).

Select the export type of SQL (default)

Make sure to check the following under Structure:

Add DROP TABLE
Add IF NOT EXISTS
Add AUTO_INCREMENT Value
Enclose table and field names with backquotes

Also, check the following under Data:

Complete inserts
Extended inserts
Use hexadecimal for binary fields

In addition, check the box 'Save as file' if you wish to save as a file, rather than having to copy and paste. Click Go.

Select a location on your computer for the file to be saved.

Note: The file will have the extension .sql, but can be opened via a text editor for verification below.

Verify Backup

Open the .sql file you just saved in a text editor (i.e. Notepad). The first line should read:

-- phpMyAdmin SQL Dump

Note: If you are familiar with SQL, you should be able to read the statements and make sure nothing is missing. If not, a good way of knowing you've got the completed file is to look at the very last line - if it ends with a semicolon, you're probably safe.