MySQL basics

The USE database command sets the default database for your stuff. All operations from that point on are applied to that database. When declaring numeric types, a number in brackets called a width specifier which tells MySQL to pad the field when retrieving it. With floats and decimals a precision parameter can also be specified such as FLOAT(7,4). Marking a field with the ZEROFILL attribute will force MySQL to pad the value with zeros. UNSIGNED forces only positive numbers.

The alter can be used in a number of different ways to change name of fields within a table. If you try to convert field types using CHANGE, MySQL may result in errors. Try using IGNORE to get round them.

Use mysqldump to backup and restore databases or tables. Delete stuff from databases and tables using DROP.