MySQL Workbench is an open-source desktop application for developing, administering and investigating MySQL databases on Windows, macOS and Linux. Built on MySQL Shell, it brings query editing, database object browsing and server administration into one workspace. Developers can work with SQL scripts or interactive notebooks, while administrators can inspect the sessions and resources behind database activity.
SQL authoring
The Script Editor lets you write SQL and execute a script in full or work through it step by step. Syntax highlighting separates the parts of a statement, code completion expands table and object names, and the formatter reorganizes SQL into a more readable layout. Query results appear in the interface, where supported results can also be edited.
SQL Notebooks offer a different working document: queries, their results and explanatory notes stay together. This suits an investigation in which the reason for running a query matters alongside its output. Notebook mode also supports JavaScript and TypeScript, so MySQL Workbench accommodates scripting as well as SQL in this environment.
A connected database exposes its schemas and objects for inspection. You can browse tables, views and routines and review their definitions while writing queries or maintaining application data structures.
Query plans
Visual Explain turns a query’s execution plan into a graphical view. You can zoom through the plan and hover over individual elements for more detail, examining how MySQL intends to process the statement. Its plan display supports the hypergraph optimizer and HeatWave query plans.
Visual Explain Analyze goes further by executing the query and showing runtime behavior for comparison with the plan.
Performance reports
MySQL Workbench also provides reports that widen the investigation beyond one query. Slow Queries shows a history of slow statements, while Statement Histogram displays how statement execution times are distributed. Report controls can focus the view on queries ranked by average latency. Table Sizes separates data and index storage by schema; Memory reports current usage through sys schema views; and Waits groups accumulated waiting time by such dimensions as event, host or user.
Client sessions
The Client Connections view lets you select an active session and examine its details, summary, current statement, locks and recent statement history. The lock view helps distinguish a connection waiting for a resource from one holding a lock that affects other work.
After examining a session, you can stop its current statement or terminate the connection itself. These are separate controls, allowing intervention at the statement level when the whole session does not need to end.
Server and user administration
Server status and configuration views provide operational context alongside development work. MySQL Workbench also supplies a visual interface for creating and editing database users, assigning roles and privileges, and auditing grants.
Enterprise backups
For MySQL Enterprise Backup customers, the integrated graphical interface creates and schedules full or incremental backups and restores databases from those backups. The backup workflow depends on access to that separate enterprise product.
HeatWave Migration Assistant
The HeatWave Migration Assistant guides the movement of MySQL workloads to MySQL HeatWave on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Its wizard brings assessment and migration execution into one workflow, with sources including on-premises databases and supported cloud services such as AWS RDS and Aurora.
Extending MySQL Workbench with GUI plugins
MySQL Workbench supports GUI plugins that add panels, integrate other tools or introduce a custom database workflow. Developers can extend the desktop interface around tasks that are not part of its core screens.
