How to connect to MySQL Data in DBVisualizer

The CData JDBC Driver for MySQL implements JDBC standards to provide connectivity to MySQL data in applications ranging from business intelligence tools to IDEs. This article shows how to establish a connection to MySQL data in DBVisualizer and use the table editor to edit and save MySQL data.

Create a New Driver Definition for MySQL Data

Follow the steps below to use the Driver Manager to provide connectivity to MySQL data from DBVisualizer tools.

1. In DBVisualizer, click Tools -> Driver Manager.
2. Click the plus sign "" to create a new driver.
3. Select "Custom" as the template.
4. On the Driver Settings tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData MySQL Driver")
   • Set URL Format to jdbc:mysql:
   • In Driver artifacts and jar files (jars are loaded in order from top):
     1. Click the plus sign "" -> "Add Files"
     2. Navigate to the "lib" folder in the installation directory (C:\Program Files\CData JDBC Driver for MySQL XXXX\)
     3. Select the JAR file (cdata.jdbc.MySQL.jar) and click "Open"
     
5. The Driver Class should populate automatically. If not, select class (cdata.jdbc.mysql.MySQLDriver).

Define the Connection to the JDBC Data Source

Close the "Driver Manager" and follow the steps below to save connection properties in the JDBC URL.

1. In the "Databases" tab, click the plus sign "" and select the driver you just created.

2. In the "Connection" section, set the following options:

   • Database Type: If you selected the wizard option, the database type is automatically detected. If you selected the "No Wizard" option, select the Generic or Auto Detect option in the Database Type menu.
   • Driver Type: Select the driver you just created.

   • Database URL: Enter the full JDBC URL. The syntax of the JDBC URL is jdbc:mysql: followed by the connection properties in a semicolon-separated list of name-value pairs.

     The CData Provider supports connecting to on-premises and cloud-hosted versions of MySQL such as Amazon RDS for MySQL, Google Cloud SQL for MySQL, Azure Database for MySQL, or Oracle MySQL HeatWave. The Server and Port properties must be set to a MySQL server. If IntegratedSecurity is set to false, then User and Password must be set to valid user credentials. Optionally, Database can be set to connect to a specific database. If not set, tables from all databases will be returned.

     SSH Connectivity for MySQL

     You can use SSH (Secure Shell) to authenticate with MySQL, whether the instance is hosted on-premises or in supported cloud environments. SSH authentication ensures that access is encrypted (as compared to direct network connections).

     SSH Connections to MySQL in Password Auth Mode

     To connect to MySQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

     • User: MySQL User name
     • Password: MySQL Password
     • Database: MySQL database name
     • Server: MySQL Server name
     • Port: MySQL port number like 3306
     • UserSSH: "true"
     • SSHAuthMode: "Password"
     • SSHPort: SSH Port number
     • SSHServer: SSH Server name
     • SSHUser: SSH User name
     • SSHPassword: SSH Password

     SSH Connections to MySQL in Public Key Auth Mode

     To connect to MySQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

     • User: MySQL User name
     • Password: MySQL Password
     • Database: MySQL database name
     • Server: MySQL Server name
     • Port: MySQL port number like 3306
     • UserSSH: "true"
     • SSHAuthMode: "Public_Key"
     • SSHPort: SSH Port number
     • SSHServer: SSH Server name
     • SSHUser: SSH User name
     • SSHClientCret: the path for the public key certificate file

     Built-in Connection String Designer

     For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the MySQL JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

     
     java -jar cdata.jdbc.mysql.jar
     

     Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

     

     When you configure the JDBC URL, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

     A typical connection string is below:

     
     jdbc:mysql:User=myUser;Password=myPassword;Database=NorthWind;Server=myServer;Port=3306;
     

   • NOTE: Database Userid and Database Password correspond with the User and Password properties for MySQL.
3. On the Connection tab, click Connect.

To browse through tables exposed by the MySQL JDBC Driver, right-click a table and click "Open in New Tab."

To execute SQL queries, use the SQL Commander tool: Click SQL Commander -> New SQL Commander. Select the Database Connection, Database, and Schema from the available menus.

See the "Supported SQL" chapter in the help documentation for more information on the supported SQL. See the "Data Model" chapter for table-specific information.

More Information & Free Trial

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for MySQL and start working with your live MySQL data in DbVisualizer. Join the CData Community or reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.