SQLyog MySQL GUI Editor's Review

If you are a web developer you've probably already heard about the MySQL database management system. SQLyog is a software package that serves a similar purpose as MySQL GUI Tools. It provides a relatively easy to use graphical user interface, allowing you to edit or extract data from any MySQL database.

I was impressed by SQLyog since the first time I used it. It has numerous features which simplify database management tasks. You can save the credentials for each server you are connecting to. This means that you can simply click on a connection's name in order to connect to a MySQL server. After connecting to the server, the application displays the list of databases on the right. SQLyog uses a tree to display each database's structure. In my opinion this is the best possible choice.

The user interface also includes a window which allows you to enter text queries. You can select only a part of the query you entered and execute it by pressing F5. The results of each query are shown below the query window. I first saw and used this feature in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express and I think it's very useful. Each query which is run by the program is displayed in the history panel along with its duration.

You can use this program to create a new table or modify the structure of any table in the database. It's also possible to define new views, stored procedures, and functions. Provided the database engine supports it, you can add triggers to any of the tables or you can define foreign key relationships.

Pluses: SQLyog enables you to dump the table structure and export the data contained by each table. You can export into CSV, HTML, XML, XLS file formats, or as an SQL dump. The user interface also allows you to optimize, check, analyze, or repair any of the tables from the database you are connected to.

Drawbacks / flaws: The program becomes a bit unstable if the connection to the database is slow. It sometimes doesn't re-draw its main window properly and stops responding.

In conclusion: In my opinion SQLyog is better than the MySQL GUI Tools package. It has most of the features of PHPMyAdmin, but they are accessible through a nice looking and easy to use graphical user interface. In the end, I would like to mention that there are two versions of SQLyog. The "community" version is freeware, while the more powerful "enterprise" version is vendible.

version reviewed: 5.29