# Newbie: best way to connect to MySQL? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [March 13, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612 "2007-03-13T00:35:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/1 "2007-03-13T00:35:38Z")
Hi All, I’m teaching myself Ruby, and thus far I’ve managed to successfully attach to and INSERT / SELECT / etc records from a MSSQL server using the ODBC driver. I’ve been trying to do the same thing with a MySQL server, using MyODBC set up to connect to the server and database in question, but whenever I try to then run code against that server I get an error message. The code I’m using is: require “odbc” conn = ODBC::connect(‘MySQLPitOfDespair’) The error message I’m getting is: 2007-03-13\_ConnectMySQLODBC.rb:3:in `initialize': S1000 (1045) [MySQL] [ODBC 3.51 Driver]Access denied for user 'ODBC'@'localhost' (using password: NO) (ODBC::Error) from 2007-03-13_ConnectMySQLODBC.rb:3:in`connect’ from 2007-03-13\_ConnectMySQLODBC.rb:3 I’m reasonably certain that I’ve created the ODBC connection correctly, since I can link tables from the MySQL server into a Microsoft Access database using the ODBC DSN of ‘MySQLPitOfDespair’. Is there a better way to connect to a MySQL server using Ruby than via ODBC? Is there a syntax for supplying user and password settings for the ODBC::connect statement above? Many thanks for any help! pt ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 1:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/2 "2007-03-13T01:35:52Z")
On Mar 12, 4:33 pm, “planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Is there a better way to connect to a MySQL server using Ruby than via > ODBC? Is there a syntax for supplying user and password settings for > the ODBC::connect statement above? Yes, use the mysql gem. install: gem install mysql ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/3 "2007-03-13T02:45:56Z")
“planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes: > > install: > > - Can I download the gem file? > Yes,you can. > - Where do I get it from, if I can? > there are many sites…for eg: > [http://rubyforge.vm.bytemark.co.uk/gems/](http://rubyforge.vm.bytemark.co.uk/gems/) > - Is there any special syntax for installing it from a local file? > No,just place the file \*.gem under the current dir,then execute > “gem i filename.gem” > Thanks again! > > pt – [http://kdr2.net](http://kdr2.net) ``` ------yours Killy Draw ``` ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/4 "2007-03-13T02:00:53Z")
On Mar 13, 10:33 am, “kreiggers” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > gem install mysql > Hi, Thanks for your reply. Do you (or does anyone else) know if I can download and install the mysql gem locally? I’m behind a corporate firewall and it doesn’t seem that the Gem package manager can get out. So, I guess what I’m asking is: - Can I download the gem file? - Where do I get it from, if I can? - Is there any special syntax for installing it from a local file? Thanks again! pt ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/5 "2007-03-13T04:36:07Z")
On Mar 12, 6:43 pm, KDr2 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > “planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes: > > > On Mar 13, 10:33 am, “kreiggers” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > > On Mar 12, 4:33 pm, “planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > > > wrote: > > > > > Is there a better way to connect to a MySQL server using Ruby than via > > > > ODBC? Is there a syntax for supplying user and password settings for > > > > the ODBC::connect statement above? Personally, I like using ActiveRecord to connect to databases. For basic database manipulation, it’s a lot easier to use than straight up SQL, especially if your databases are configured the way AR wants them to be. If not, then there’s some annoying setup work with set\_\* and joins that might be more hassle than it’s worth, depending on what you’re doing. Download here: [http://rubyforge.org/projects/activerecord/](http://rubyforge.org/projects/activerecord/) Documentation here: [http://ar.rubyonrails.org/](http://ar.rubyonrails.org/) –Alpha Chen ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/6 "2007-03-13T06:31:14Z")
On Mar 12, 6:43 pm, KDr2 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > “planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes: > > > On Mar 13, 10:33 am, “kreiggers” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > > On Mar 12, 4:33 pm, “planetthoughtful” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > > > wrote: > > > > > Is there a better way to connect to a MySQL server using Ruby than via > > > > ODBC? Is there a syntax for supplying user and password settings for > > > > the ODBC::connect statement above? Personally, I like using ActiveRecord to connect to databases. For basic database manipulation, it’s a lot easier to use than straight up SQL, especially if your databases are configured the way AR wants them to be. If not, then there’s some annoying setup work with set\_\* and joins that might be more hassle than it’s worth, depending on what you’re doing. Download here: [http://rubyforge.org/projects/activerecord/](http://rubyforge.org/projects/activerecord/) Documentation here: [http://ar.rubyonrails.org/](http://ar.rubyonrails.org/) –Alpha Chen ---
**Author:** ![planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@planetthoughtful](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/planetthoughtful)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-best-way-to-connect-to-mysql/88612/7 "2007-03-13T05:56:12Z")
On Mar 13, 11:43 am, KDr2 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > - Where do I get it from, if I can? > > there are many sites…for eg:[http://rubyforge.vm.bytemark.co.uk/gems/](http://rubyforge.vm.bytemark.co.uk/gems/) > > > - Is there any special syntax for installing it from a local file? > > No,just place the file \*.gem under the current dir,then execute > “gem i filename.gem” Hi - just wanted say thank you for your help with this! I’m not sure what was wrong with my Google-Fu, but I’d spent a couple of hours trying to find somewhere from which I could download gem files directly without any luck. Now happily connecting to MySQL! Thanks again! pt