If you need a structure only .sql file of a MySQL tables’ Data Definition Language (DDL), phpMyAdmin makes this super-easy with just a few clicks. Continue reading and learn how…
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Why use a DDL file?
Why would you need a structure-only .sql DDL file anyway?
Maybe you want to build out a tables’ structure on another server to bring in different data or something comparable, and want it void of any existing data.
Rather than creating the table by hand with manual MySQL commands, simply use the .sql DDL dump file.
Practice Data
The target table I’m using for the examples in this post is a fictitious project table with this structure:
How to create a DDL only .sql file with phpMyAdmin
Step 1:
Click the Export tab located in the top ribbon of phpMyAdmin:
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Step 2:
In the Export method section, select the Custom – display all possible options radio button and make sure the Format dropdown is set to SQL:
Step 3:
In the Format-specific options section, click the structure radio button:
Step 4:
Keeping all of the other configuration options to their defaults, simply click the Go button located in the bottom right of the window to complete the Export:
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Shown in the below Github gist, is the entire .sql dump file with the project tables’ DDL:
Way easy, right?!?
Like always, if you have questions or see any mistakes in the code, please share them freely in the comments section. Constructive comments help me provide accurate and valuable content and are much appreciated!
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Josh Otwell has a passion to grow as a PHP Developer, SQL expert, and technical blogger/writer.
Disclaimer: The majority of examples in this post, are performed in a personal development/learning workstation environment and should not be considered production quality or ready. Your particular goals and needs may vary. Like always, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. My opinions are my own.