Import a large sql dump file to a MySQL database from command line

1. Open a command prompt (or shell in Linux) with administrative privilleges
2. If you are in Windows set character set to unicode. Linux is using UTF-8 by default.

   chcp 65001

3. Connect to a mysql instance using command line

   $PATH_TO_MYSQL\mysql.exe -h 192.168.1.1 --port=3306 -u root -p

   if you are in localhost you do not need host and port

   $PATH_TO_MYSQL\mysql.exe -u root -p

4. You are now in mysql shell. Set network buffer length to a large byte number. The default value may throw errors for such large data files

   set global net_buffer_length=1000000;

5. Set maximum allowed packet size to a large byte number.The default value may throw errors for such large data files.

   set global max_allowed_packet=1000000000;

6. Disable foreign key checking to avoid delays,errors and unwanted behaviour

   SET foreign_key_checks = 0;
   SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 0;
   SET AUTOCOMMIT = 0;
   

7. Import your sql dump file

   source C:\bob_db\dbdump150113.sql

You are done! Remember to enable foreign key checks when procedure is complete!

SET foreign_key_checks = 1;
SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 1;
SET AUTOCOMMIT = 1;

If you are in Linux you can create a Bash script which will do the dirty job and write to stdout start and end time of import:

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#!/bin/sh   # store start date to a variable imeron=`date`   echo "Import started: OK" dumpfile="/home/bob/bobiras.sql"   ddl="set names utf8; " ddl="$ddl set global net_buffer_length=1000000;" ddl="$ddl set global max_allowed_packet=1000000000; " ddl="$ddl SET foreign_key_checks = 0; " ddl="$ddl SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 0; " ddl="$ddl SET AUTOCOMMIT = 0; " # if your dump file does not create a database, select one ddl="$ddl USE jetdb; " ddl="$ddl source $dumpfile; " ddl="$ddl SET foreign_key_checks = 1; " ddl="$ddl SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 1; " ddl="$ddl SET AUTOCOMMIT = 1; " ddl="$ddl COMMIT ; "   echo "Import started: OK"   time mysql -h 127.0.0.1 -u root -proot -e "$ddl"   # store end date to a variable imeron2=`date`   echo "Start import:$imeron" echo "End import:$imeron2"