MySQL DBA Checklist

mysql, mysqladmin, InnoDB, slow logs, backups and service evidence. Last updated August 31, 2026.

MySQL troubleshooting should start with the server identity and a small set of read-only checks. The MySQL manual documents mysql as the command-line client for interactive and noninteractive SQL use. This checklist turns that into a repeatable DBA workflow for developers, admins and incident handoffs.

Connection identity

mysql --version
mysql -e "select version(), current_user(), database();"
mysql -e "show variables like 'hostname';"
mysql -e "show variables like 'port';"
mysql -e "show variables like 'datadir';"
mysql -e "show variables like 'socket';"

Service and availability

mysqladmin ping
mysqladmin status
mysqladmin variables | grep -E 'version|datadir|socket|port'
systemctl status mysql --no-pager
systemctl status mysqld --no-pager
journalctl -u mysql -n 120 --no-pager

Sessions and active queries

Start with process visibility before changing indexes or configuration. Save long-running query text with timestamps and application host information when possible.

mysql -e "show full processlist;"
mysql -e "select id, user, host, db, command, time, state, left(info, 160) as query from information_schema.processlist where command <> 'Sleep' order by time desc;"
mysql -e "show global status like 'Threads_connected';"
mysql -e "show global status like 'Threads_running';"

InnoDB and storage signals

mysql -e "show engine innodb status\\G"
mysql -e "select table_schema, round(sum(data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024, 1) as mb from information_schema.tables group by table_schema order by mb desc;"
mysql -e "select table_schema, table_name, round((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024, 1) as mb from information_schema.tables order by mb desc limit 20;"
df -h
du -sh /var/lib/mysql 2>/dev/null

Slow query and configuration checks

Question	Command	Meaning
Is slow logging enabled?	`show variables like 'slow_query_log';`	Without it, you may be guessing from application symptoms.
Where are slow logs?	`show variables like 'slow_query_log_file';`	The DBA can inspect slow query samples outside the app.
What is the threshold?	`show variables like 'long_query_time';`	A threshold too high hides useful signals.
Which config loaded?	`mysql --help \| grep -A1 'Default options'`	Runtime config may not be the file you edited.
Are tables huge?	`information_schema.tables`	Large tables change index and backup decisions.

Backup and restore readiness

Use logical backups for repeatable checks, but do restore tests on a safe target. Do not overwrite a production schema to prove a backup.

mysqldump --single-transaction --routines --triggers --events my_database > my_database.sql
mysql --database=my_database_restore_test < my_database.sql
mysql -e "select table_schema, count(*) from information_schema.tables where table_schema in ('my_database','my_database_restore_test') group by table_schema;"

Incident evidence bundle

date -Is
hostname
mysql --version
mysql -e "select version(), current_user(), database();"
mysqladmin status
mysql -e "show global status like 'Threads_running';"
mysql -e "show full processlist;"

A useful MySQL handoff proves identity, service state, active sessions, InnoDB/storage signals, slow query visibility and backup readiness before recommending tuning.