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Local client configuration

This article shows you how to configure a local database client for Team Edition.

A local client is a set of command-line tools that ship with your database, such as mysqldump and mysql for MySQL, or pg_dump, pg_dumpall, and psql for PostgreSQL. They're usually installed with the database server, but you can also install them separately.

Team Edition uses a JDBC driver for everyday tasks like browsing data, running queries, and editing tables, so a local client isn't required. You only need one when using native tools, such as backup and restore or running SQL scripts through the native client. If you start one of those tools without a client configured, Team Edition reports that the local client is not specified for the connection.

Tip

"Local" means the client runs on your machine, not that the database is local. These tools work with remote databases too, as long as the client version is compatible with the server.

Before you start:

  • Windows users have it easier, since many local clients ship with the software.
  • On macOS and Linux, the client never ships with Team Edition. If it isn't detected, install it or point Team Edition to it by hand. See Find the installation path.

Add a client home

  1. Create a new connection and pick your database, for example MySQL. The Connect to a database wizard opens.

  2. Open the Advanced tab.

  3. Open the Local Client dropdown. If Team Edition detected a client, it's selected automatically. Otherwise, choose Browse... at the bottom of the list.

  4. In the Database Client Homes dialog, select Add Home, choose the client's installation folder, and select OK. On macOS, press Command+Shift+G in the file dialog to paste a path directly.

    Tip

    Don't know the path? Find it first in Find the installation path below.

    Important

    Point to the installation folder that contains bin, not to bin itself or to an executable. For example, use /opt/homebrew/Cellar/mysql-client/9.6.0, not /opt/homebrew/Cellar/mysql-client/9.6.0/bin/mysqldump.

  5. Check that the Local Client dropdown now shows the client you added, then select Finish to create the connection.

Tip

You can also change the client later for an existing connection: select it, open Edit Connection (or press F4), and find the same client selector.

Find the installation path

Team Edition looks for clients automatically, so you often won't need this. If a client isn't detected, find its installation folder here, then add it using the steps above.

Windows

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. Use where /R to search the drive. For MySQL, search for mysqldump.exe. For PostgreSQL, search for pg_dump.exe:

    where /R C:\ mysqldump.exe

    Scanning the whole drive can take a few minutes.

  3. The command prints the full path. For example: C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.1\bin\mysqldump.exe

Tip

You can also find it visually. In File Explorer, open the database's program folder under C:\Program Files and check its bin folder for mysqldump.exe or pg_dump.exe.

macOS and Linux

  1. Open your terminal.

  2. Use the find command to locate the client. For MySQL, search for mysqldump. For PostgreSQL, search for pg_dump:

    find /usr /opt -name "mysqldump" 2>/dev/null

  3. The terminal prints the path. The location depends on your system:

    • macOS: /usr/local/mysql-8.1.0-macos13-arm64/bin/mysqldump
    • Linux: /usr/bin/mysqldump, or something like /usr/lib/postgresql/16/bin/pg_dump for PostgreSQL

If the search returns nothing, the client isn't installed yet. On macOS, install it through Homebrew - brew install libpq for PostgreSQL or brew install mysql-client for MySQL. Both are keg-only, so Homebrew doesn't add them to your PATH. Run brew --prefix libpq to get the installation folder, then add it as a client home using the steps above.