SOLyog is very simple to download, install and use. I went to the relevant website to download it, and it was only 384K bytes in size. It installs two files (an executable file .exe and a dynamic link library file .dll) to the C:Program FilesSQLyog path. Then run the executable file.
There is no need to visit the website after installation. When I visited the website, I got a message saying that its domain name was not configured, registered, or under construction. I don't know if this problem is temporary or if it's always been like this. The software is free and has no banner ads, so it may be a specific business model that hasn't been finalized yet. You may still have to pay a fee in the end.
Database, table, and column tree
As soon as the program started, it started asking for my password to log in to the MySOL server. I just need to enter my server name, user id and login password. All other settings are correct defaults. Then (after I've started other things, restarted a few times, and slept for a while), I rerun the program and only had to enter my login password again. The program does not have an option to save passwords. You can consider this a bug of the program, or it can be said to be the confidentiality feature of the program.
Once you log in, the interface is noteworthy. All databases on the MySOL server are displayed on a tree control. You can only access the database you authorized when logging in. If you click on the tree structure that represents the database that is authorized for you, you can see a series of nodes representing tables. After clicking on the table node, you can see a series of nodes showing field names and another set of nodes representing indexes.
The index interface is definitely a good thing, so you can CRUD query indexes and keywords. This is an improvement over front-end databases such as Microsoft Access. The design of this part of the program is very mature if you consider that MySOL has just begun to provide support for primary and foreign keyword relationships. On the lower right panel, there are four tabs, namely: Result, Message, Object and History.
What are the disadvantages?
I tried to find the program's shortcomings, but only found one. If you run the program's .exe file under Win32 Dependency Walker, you will find that it references the COMDLG32.dll file, which in turn references AppHelp. In fact, CommDlg calls AppHelp, and when AppHelp does not request a function, CommDlg's doing so is a waste of resources.
Too simple?
On the SQLyog FAQ, there is a view that the software does not need to be officially archived. Of course, the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is an archive in itself. SQLyog's interface is very intuitive. I recommend that you print a copy of the MySOL documentation (including SQL special syntax extensions). This is what I did and it only used a half inch loose leaf cover.
The last step?
The FAQ also reminds one of the old but true Occam's Razor rule - any more complexity than necessary is unnecessary. The reason why I "promote" this tool everywhere is because it can provide us with a simple, graphical interface that can manage many databases on the MySOL server. It's extremely fast, and its copy is small (fits on a floppy disk).
SQLyog claims to be a query analyzer, but in fact its functions are much more than that. If you are using MySOL, you can download SQLyog from its website (you need to register your name and email address), and then experience its other functions.