Database FAQ

Note: This article is a work in progress. Please use the page comments or an appropriate moodle.org forum for any recommendations/suggestions for improvement.

There are two types of "databases" in Moodle:

a) The Moodle activity named Database

• Database activity module FAQ is the FAQ page

b) The database on your server where Moodle stores all its content

Here is some additional information that may help guide you to more information to answer your FAQs

a) Database activity module

Moodle Docs

• Category:Database activity module
• Database activity module
• Database activity module FAQ
• Database activity module forum
• How do I import and export database entries?

b) Moodle database

Moodle Docs

• Category:DB
• Databases forum
• Development:Database schema introduction
• Development:Database Schema - The files available here are in DBDesigner 4 format.

DBDesigner 4 is a schema drawing program for MySQL data bases released under GPL.

• Create Moodle site database

Moodle Forums

• "Moodle database design issues I'd like to tackle/see tackled" in the Moodle forum (from 2007).
• MySQL workbench file for download (for using with MySQL Workbench). - Related forum discussion: Referential integrity in Moodle

Miscellaneous

• "Database abstraction layers and Moodle" from Christopher Douce's blog (Open University)

Moodle core libraries

Moodle's core libraries provide lots of functions for working with the database.

• /lib/datalib.php for higher level functions
• /lib/dmllib.php for lower level functions

XMLDB

XMLDB stores the database definition in an XML format that can be used to install Moodle on any database.

• Development:Database
• Development:XMLDB Documentation
• Development:XMLDB defining an XML structure#The XMLDB editor
• XMLDB editor
• Category:XMLDB

Introduction to Moodle Programming course:

• Unit 7 - Part A: Block Basics: Create a Database Table for the Block
• Unit 7 - Appendix B: The XMLDB Editor

Different kinds of databases

• MySQL
• MSSQL - see Installing MSSQL for PHP
• Oracle - see Installing Oracle for PHP
• PostgreSQL

New database layer in Moodle 2.0

• See Development:DB_layer_2.0.
• For new features in Moodle 2.0 see Development:Coding#Database.
• Delegated transactions on Moodle Docs and the related forum discussion on Database transactions in Moodle

See also:

• Moodle Documentation Forum discussion about Categories "DB" and "Database"