I had a request from a reader to provide more detailed instructions on "database wrangling" with your Joomla! database. This article is an attempt at honoring that request. I will add an article later that explains how to import your Joomla! database using phpMyAdmin.

To perform the tasks in this article, you will need phpMyAdmin installed on your server. I am using version 2.8.0.2 of phpMyAdmin and version 4.1.21 of MySQL. For the sake of brevity, I have assumed that you have access to your MySQL server and left out details on how to gain that access. If you are unsure about how to gain access to your MySQL server, you should contact your hosting provider.

phpMyAdmin Main Screen

Once you have logged into phpMyAdmin on your server, you should see a screen that looks like this:

In the left column, there should be a listing of the databases available. Click on the link to your Joomla! database. In this example, the database is simply called "joomla".

phpMyAdmin Table List Screen

Once you have clicked on your Joomla! database, you should come to a screen that looks like this:

This screen lists off the tables that are in your Joomla! database. Click on the tab labelled "Export".

phpMyAdmin Export Screen

That should take you to a screen that looks like this:

Export Steps

This is where the magic happens. Follow these simple steps, and you will have your database exported to an SQL file.

1. Select all of your Joomla! tables from the list of tables.
2. In the list of export types, make sure "SQL" is selected. (This makes it easier to re-import your data later.)
3. Leave your SQL options like they are (unless they are different from what you see in the picture).
4. Make sure "Save as file" is checked.
5. Click the button labelled "Go".
6. Save your ".sql" file to your system and make note of where you saved it.

That's all there is to it. You should now have a file on your system that is an exact copy of your Joomla! database.

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