phpMyAdmin is the database management panel installed in many web host packages, especially host services that use cPanel. It is free to use and free to install and can even be installed separately of the server package provided by a hosting company.
Not all phpMyAdmin features are enabled on all host environments. One feature that usually is enabled is the option that lets us create a new database by copying an existing database. The ability to copy a MySQL database is very useful when,
- we need to backup a database
- we need to copy a website to a new location on the same server that houses the copied site, and when
- we want to edit a database but we fear destroying it in the process
So, how do we copy a database using phpMyAdmin?
Without getting into long and complicated explanations, to copy a database into a new database we,
- open phpMyAdmin
- select the database to copy
- click the Operations tab
- scroll to where it says ‘Copy database to‘
- type in a new database name then
- click Go
To use the database copy with a content management system like WordPress we need to create a new database user then add that new user to our new database then update our database settings in (in the case of WP) wp-config.php.
Is that easy or what?
In pictures: how to copy a database with phpMyAdmin
