asked on

php script to dump MySQL tables

Is it possible to write a php script to "dump" selected tables of a MySQL database?

I want the resultant file to be a .sql file that could be easily restored (manually) if need be.

Dave Baldwin

That one of the things that phpMyAdmin does. http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/index.php Install or use it, much easier than trying to write your own. They've been doing it for a long time.

If you have shell or command line access, you can use the 'mysqldump' program.

Loganathan Natarajan

I used this script on my hosting package, it worked well. Check out

I had permission to run as cron.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Marco Gasi

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Ray Paseur

I've used this...

<?php // RAY_mysql_backup_dump.php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
date_default_timezone_set("America/Chicago");


// PATTERN OF THE NAME OF THE BACKUP FILES
// 'backups/mysql' . date('Ymd\THis') . $db_name . '.txt';


// IMPORTANT PAGES FROM THE MANUALS
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.mysql.php
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/mysql.installation.php


// CONNECTION AND SELECTION VARIABLES FOR THE DATABASE
$db_host = "??"; // PROBABLY 'localhost' IS OK
$db_user = "??";
$db_word = "??";


// OPEN A CONNECTION TO THE DATA BASE SERVER
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-connect.php
if (!$db_connection = mysql_connect("$db_host", "$db_user", "$db_word"))
{
    $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
    echo "<br/>NO DB CONNECTION: ";
    echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
    die();
}


// GET A LIST OF THE DATA BASES ON THIS CONNECTION
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-list-dbs.php
if (!$db_list = mysql_list_dbs($db_connection))
{
    $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
    echo "<br/>NO DB LIST: ";
    echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
    die();
}


// ITERATE OVER THE LIST OF NAMES TO MAKE AN ARRAY
while ($row = mysql_fetch_object($db_list))
{
    $db_names[] = $row->Database ;
}


// ANYTHING IN POST DATA YET?
if (empty($_POST["d"]))
{
    // NOTHING POSTED - ASK CLIENT TO CHOOSE THE DATA BASE
    echo "<form method=\"post\">\n";
    echo "BACK UP A DATA BASE:<br/>";
    foreach ($db_names as $db_name)
    {
        echo "<input type=\"radio\" name=\"d\" value=\"$db_name\">$db_name <br/>\n";
    }
    echo "<input type=\"submit\" />\n";
    echo "</form>\n";
    die();
}


// THERE IS A RADIO BUTTON IN $_POST
if (!in_array($_POST["d"], $db_names)) die("ERROR: DATABASE {$_POST["d"]} NOT FOUND");
$db_name = $_POST["d"];


// SELECT THE MYSQL DATA BASE
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-select-db.php
if (!$db_sel = mysql_select_db($db_name, $db_connection))
{
    $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
    echo "<br/>NO DB SELECTION: ";
    echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
    die('NO DATA BASE');
}


// SET THE NAME OF THE BACKUP WITH A TIMESTAMP
$bkup = 'backups/mysql' . date('Ymd\THis') . $db_name . '.txt';
$fp   = fopen($bkup, "w");


// GET THE LIST OF TABLES
$sql = "SHOW TABLES";
$res = mysql_query($sql);
if (!$res) die( mysql_error() );
if (mysql_num_rows($res) == 0) die( "NO TABLES IN $db_name" );
while ($s = mysql_fetch_array($res))
{
    $tables[] = $s[0];
}


// ITERATE OVER THE LIST OF TABLES
foreach ($tables as $table)
{

    // WRITE THE DROP TABLE STATEMENT
    fwrite($fp,"DROP TABLE `$table`;\n");

    // GET THE CREATE TABLE STATEMENT
    $res = mysql_query("SHOW CREATE TABLE `$table`");
    if (!$res) die( mysql_error() );
    $cre = mysql_fetch_array($res);
    $cre[1] .= ";";
    $txt = str_replace("\n", "", $cre[1]); // FIT EACH QUERY ON ONE LINE
    fwrite($fp, $txt . "\n");

    // GET THE TABLE DATA
    $data = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `$table`");
    $num  = mysql_num_fields($data);
    while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($data))
    {
        // MAKE INSERT STATEMENTS FOR ALL THE VALUES
        $txt = "INSERT INTO `$table` VALUES(";
        for ($i=0; $i < $num; $i++)
        {
            $txt .= "'".mysql_real_escape_string($row[$i])."', ";
        }
        $txt = substr($txt, 0, -2);
        fwrite($fp, $txt . ");\n");
    }
}

// ALL DONE
fclose($fp);

// SHOW THE LINK TO THE BACKUP FILE
echo "<br/>BACKUP OF $db_name CREATED HERE:\n";
echo "<br/><a href=\"$bkup\">$bkup</a>\n";

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And this:

<?php // RAY_mysql_backup_restore.php
error_reporting(E_ALL);


// PATTERN OF THE NAME OF THE BACKUP FILES
// 'RAY_backups/mysql' . date('Ymd\THis') . $db_name . '.txt';


// IMPORTANT PAGES FROM THE MANUALS
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.mysql.php
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/mysql.installation.php


// CONNECTION AND SELECTION VARIABLES FOR THE DATABASE
$db_host = "??"; // PROBABLY 'localhost' IS OK
$db_user = "??";
$db_word = "??";


// FIND THE BACKUP FILES
if (!$my_dir = scandir('backups',1)) die('NO BACKUP DIRECTORY FOUND');

// IF NOTHING POSTED YET
if (empty($_POST))
{

// ASK CLIENT TO CHOOSE ONE FOR RESTORE
    $x = FALSE;
    echo "<form method=\"post\">\n";
    echo "RESTORE A DATA BASE:<br/>";
    foreach ($my_dir as $my_file)
    {
        if (!ereg('^mysql', $my_file)) continue;
        echo "<input type=\"radio\" name=\"d\" value=\"$my_file\">$my_file <br/>\n";
        $x = TRUE;
    }
    if (!$x) die('NO BACKUP FILES FOUND');
    echo "<input type=\"submit\" />\n";
    echo "</form>\n";
    die();
}


// THERE IS A RADIO BUTTON IN $_POST
if (!in_array($_POST["d"], $my_dir)) die("ERROR: FILE {$_POST["d"]} NOT FOUND");

// THE NAME OF THE BACKUP FILE
$fname = $_POST["d"];

// GET THE NAME OF THE DB FROM THE BACKUP FILE NAME
$db_name = $fname;
$db_name = ereg_replace("^mysql", '', $db_name);
$db_name = ereg_replace("\.txt$",         '', $db_name);
$db_name = substr($db_name, 15); // LENGTH 15 = strlen("date('Ymd\THis')")


// OPEN A CONNECTION TO THE DATA BASE SERVER
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-connect.php
if (!$db_connection = mysql_connect("$db_host", "$db_user", "$db_word"))
{
    $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
    echo "<br/>NO DB CONNECTION: ";
    echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
}

// SELECT THE MYSQL DATA BASE
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-select-db.php
if (!$db_sel = mysql_select_db($db_name, $db_connection))
{
    $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
    echo "<br/>NO DB SELECTION: ";
    echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
    die('NO DATA BASE');
}

// LOAD THE BACKUP DATA QUERIES
$sqls  = file('RAY_backups/' . $fname);

// ITERATE OVER THE QUERIES TO RELOAD THE DATA
foreach ($sqls as $sql)
{
    if (!$res = mysql_query($sql))
    {
        $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
        echo "<br/>QUERY FAIL: ";
        echo "<br/>$sql <br/>";
        die($errmsg);
    }
}

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And for a single table backup on the same data base...

<?php // RAY_mysql_backup_table.php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
echo "<pre>\n";



// A FORM-ACTIVATED TABLE BACKUP
// RESPONSE TO EE QUESTION http://www.experts-exchange.com/Database/MySQL/Q_25465037.html?cid=1749



// CONNECTION AND SELECTION VARIABLES FOR THE DATABASE
$db_host = "localhost"; // PROBABLY THIS IS OK
$db_name = "??";        // GET THESE FROM YOUR HOSTING COMPANY
$db_user = "??";
$db_word = "??";

// OPEN A CONNECTION TO THE DATA BASE SERVER
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-connect.php
if (!$db_connection = mysql_connect("$db_host", "$db_user", "$db_word"))
{
   $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
   echo "<br/>NO DB CONNECTION: ";
   echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
}

// SELECT THE MYSQL DATA BASE
// MAN PAGE: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-select-db.php
if (!$db_sel = mysql_select_db($db_name, $db_connection))
{
   $errmsg = mysql_errno() . ' ' . mysql_error();
   echo "<br/>NO DB SELECTION: ";
   echo "<br/> $errmsg <br/>";
   die('NO DATA BASE');
}
// IF WE GOT THIS FAR WE CAN DO QUERIES



// IF THE CLIENT HAS CHOSEN A TABLE FROM OUR FORM
if (!empty($_POST["dbt"]))
{
    // CLEAN NAMES FOR THE TABLES
    $dbt      = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST["dbt"]);
    $dbt_bkup = $dbt . 'BCK';

    // REMOVE ANY OLD BACKUP DATA (AND IGNORE QUERY ERRORS THAT MAY OCCUR)
    $sql = "DROP TABLE $dbt_bkup";
    var_dump($sql);
    mysql_query($sql);

    // CREATE A NEW BACKUP TABLE WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORIGINAL TABLE
    $sql = "CREATE TABLE $dbt_bkup LIKE $dbt";
    var_dump($sql);
    mysql_query($sql) or die( mysql_error() );

    // POPULATE THE NEW BACKUP TABLE WITH THE DATA FROM THE ORIGINAL TABLE
    $sql = "INSERT INTO $dbt_bkup SELECT * FROM $dbt";
    var_dump($sql);
    mysql_query($sql) or die( mysql_error() );

    // ALL DONE
    echo "$dbt HAS BEEN BACKED UP IN $dbt_bkup" . PHP_EOL;
}



// GIVE THE CLIENT A FORM TO CHOOSE THE TABLE TO BACKUP
if (empty($_POST["dbt"]))
{
    // RUN A QUERY TO GET A LIST OF TABLES ON THIS DB
	$t = mysql_query("SHOW TABLES") or die( mysql_error() );

	// IF NO TABLES
	if (mysql_num_rows($t) == 0)
	{
		die('NO TABLES');
	}

	// GET AN ARRAY OF TABLES WITH THE TABLE NAME AS THE INDEX
	while ($show_tables	= mysql_fetch_array($t))
	{
		$my_tables[] = $show_tables[0];
	}

	// SORT THE NAMES
    natcasesort($my_tables);

    // PRODUCE THE FORM TO CHOOSE THE TABLE
    echo "<form method=\"post\">" . PHP_EOL;
    echo "CHOOSE TABLE TO BACKUP" . PHP_EOL;
    foreach ($my_tables as $my_table)
    {
        // GET THE NUMBER OF ROWS FOR THIS TABLE
        $t = mysql_query("SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM $my_table") or die( mysql_error() );
        $r = mysql_fetch_assoc($t);
        $n = $r["n"];

        // PRODUCE A RADIO BUTTON FOR THE CLIENT TO CHOOSE A TABLE
        echo "<input type=\"radio\" name=\"dbt\" value=\"$my_table\" />$my_table ($n ROWS)" . PHP_EOL;
    }

    // END OF SELECTION FORM
    echo "<input type=\"submit\" value=\"BACKUP NOW\" />" . PHP_EOL;
    echo "</form>" . PHP_EOL;
}

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HTH, ~Ray