Where to Get and How to Install MySQL Server for Windows

You will also be asked about security settings -- what root password to use, and whether or not you wish to install an anonymous account on the database server as well. It is recommended to not install an anonymous account unless you have a specific reason to do so, and you should most definitely choose a root password for the database server carefully (do not leave it blank!!). You can also enable remote root access from this configuration screen, but it is not recommended unless you have a reason to do so.

Once all this is complete, the configuration settings will be applied and the MySQL Server service will be started. You are now ready to install your first database, but you may wish to learn a little about MySQL Server first to familiarize yourself with it. A couple tutorials on how to get started with MySQL are available at http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/mysql_intro.html and http://www.tizag.com/mysqlTutorial/. Once you get deeper into MySQL server, you will be referring often to the official MySQL Reference, which can be found at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/.

MySQL is the most widely used database management system because it is free, but what databases you create or install are up to you. Once you have your website empire running full steam, you will undoubtedly be creating your own databases and growing them with the aid of your users. To get started, however, there are many resources online where you can obtain or purchase databases upon which to build your websites, such as WebContents.org. The next article I write will be about how to install these kinds of MySQL databases, so look for it!