Sakila: a sample SQL dataset

I learned today about the Sakila sample database. It has a non-trivial, but understandable schema, which is helpful when practicing SQL commands.

It is also easy to download and install.

• ivanceras / sakila has instructions for multiple DBMS
• As an sqlite3 file.
• Even as preloaded containers.

To try out this, we can easily run 2 containers: the first will run the DBMS and the data, and we will log to the other one to access the CLI. First we create a shared network so they can communicate:

docker network create --driver bridge mysql-net

Then the DBMS pre-loaded with Sakila:

docker run -p 3306:3306 -d --network mysql-net --name sakiladb sakiladb/mysql:8

Now, I couldn’t find an official container just with the CLI. But here’s a simple Dockerfile:

FROM ubuntu:latest
RUN set-x; apt-get update; apt install -y mysql-client; rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists

And here we launch it:

docker run --rm -it --network mysql-net jzer7/mysql-client

Both containers share the same network (mysql-net), so each is visible to the other under the container name. So the argument for -h sakiladb is the host that has the DBMS. (The passwords are the defaults shown in the Dockerfile.)

mysql -h sakiladb -u sakila -p

Update: If you prefer a graphical interface, you can replace step 3, and use PHP My Admin.

docker run --name phpmyadmin --network mysql-net -d -e PMA_HOST=sakiladb -p 8080:80 phpmyadmin

Then just launch your browser to http://0.0.0.0:8080/.

When you are set, you can try your SQL proficiency with some questions from a Sakila test.