Step 2: Installing the mySQL ODBC Driver 3.51

This is Step 2 of an installation and configuration of the mySQL 4.1 database server on a Windows 2000 Professional machine, then accessing it from dBASE via the BDE. Click here to go to the index. This page updated November 7, 2006.

1. I already had the mySQL ODBC Driver installed on my machine so that I could connect to external databases. I will go through the steps as best I can - the installer may want me to uninstall the existing setup. I may not want to do that as it could possibly break some things that I have already configured. Let's find out!
2. As previously mentioned, I'm using Windows 2000 Professional and Mozilla Firefox web browser. Some steps and/or screen messages may vary slightly if you are using different products.
3. Click on the mySQL logo above, which will open a new browser window and take you to their homepage.
4. Click on 'Products' on the blue bar near the top. Then click on 'Drivers', the last item in the blue box on the left. Under 'Developed by mySQL AB', look for the heading 'ODBC Driver for MySQL (Connector/ODBC)' in the list. Click on 'Download', then scroll down to the Windows downloads. Click on 'Driver Installer (zipped EXE)' - NOTE: you will need a zip program like WinZip or ZipCentral.
5. Click on 'Pick a Mirror' to select where you will download from.
6. You may be taken to a survey screen, in which case you can answer the questions or click on the 'No thanks, just take me to the Downloads!' link.
7. Choose a download site that is close to you if possible. Click on 'HTTP' and then 'Save to Disk'.
8. When the download is complete, open the file in your zip program and extract setup.exe. Run setup.exe to start the installation process.
9. The first screen comes up:
   
   Read the information and click 'Next'.
10. The next screen presents with the GNU GPL licensing terms:
    
    If you agree with the licensing terms, click the 'I accept the license agreement' radio button and then click 'Next'.
11. The next screen gives some installation details:
    
    As foreshadowed, there is a note about uninstalling any existing drivers and also doing a manual check to make sure that all the old files are gone. I will do that now as I have an existing ODBC driver installed. If you don't have an existing mySQL ODBC driver, then click 'Next'.
12. (Optional) To uninstall an existing mySQL ODBC driver, I went to the Control Panel and brought up the 'Add/Remove Programs' window. I scrolled down to 'mySQL ODBC Connector' and clicked on 'Remove'. Regarding any stray files, I'm not sure where it puts the files so I won't worry about that just now. If there are problems down the road, we may have to revisit this.
13. The next screen gives you a chance to take a deep breath before installing:
    
    Click 'Next' to start the install. (If you ask me, the button title should be 'Install'.)
14. A bunch of things happen according to a red progress bar and then I get this screen:
    
    Click 'Finish' to complete the ODBC driver installation BUT WE AIN'T DONE YET.
15. Open the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools and then open 'Data Sources (ODBC)'.
16. Click on the 'System DSN' tab:
    
    You will notice that in my case, I have an existing mySQL ODBC connection (dBFB) that was not removed during the uninstall of the previous ODBC driver. I tested it and it is still working fine so we'll leave it for now. Click on the 'Add...' button to start the ODBC connection process.
17. The next screen allows us to choose which driver we want to use:
    
    Scroll down to the bottom and select the 'mySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver' and then click 'Finish'.
18. And here's the part we've all been waiting for - the mySQL ODBC Connection details screen:
    
    We will now fill in each field so that we can connect to the database server that we installed earlier. A nice feature is that when you place the cursor in a particular field, a helpful message comes up in the right window.
    Data Source Name: Create a meaningful name for this ODBC connection. You will need to know it later when setting up the BDE.
    Description:This is optional but a good idea for future reference.
    Server:We are connecting to the server on this machine, so type in 'localhost' (without the quotes).
    User:For the sake of expediency, we are going to connect with the user named 'root' so type that in. Security note: The root account is all-powerful and can do serious damage. In any sort of real-world application, create restricted users and create connections with them to minimize potential damage. We just want to get a connection up and running, so leave that for later.
    Password:Type in the root password that you created when setting up the database (#15 on the previous page). You did write it down somewhere safe, didn't you?
    Database:This combobox doesn't work until you enter the server above. It is then populated with the names of available databases on that server. After I entered localhost as the server, it gave me choices of 'mysql' and 'test'. If I recall correctly, mysql is the database of all the system tables, user privileges, etc. so we will leave that one alone. Choose the test database.
19. Your completed window will look something like this:
    
    Click on the 'Test' button to see if you've been paying attention.
20. Hopefully, you are rewarded with this message:
    
    Congratulations, you now have an ODBC-capable mySQL database server installed and ready to go!
21. There are additional options available on the other tabs, but they are not required for our simple configuration. Click on the 'Ok' button to close the mySQL configuration, then 'OK' to close the ODBC Manager.

Prev: Step 1: Installing the mySQL 4.1 Database Server
Next: Step 3: Connecting dBASE to mySQL using the BDE

The MySQL Logo is a registered trademark of MySQL AB in the United States, the European Union and other countries.

Problems? Comments? Please contact us.
© ChelseaData.ca