Is MySQL free to use?

Yes. MySQL Community Edition is completely free, open-source software, and so is MySQL Workbench for managing and editing queries. No paid license is required to learn and practice SQL.

What is the Northwind database?

Northwind is a sample database for a fictional trading company, with tables for customers, orders, products, suppliers, and employees. It is widely used for learning SQL because it is realistic and lets you practice JOINs, GROUP BY, and complex queries.

How do I load Northwind into MySQL?

Download the Northwind SQL file, open it in MySQL Workbench via File → Open SQL Script, and run it. This guide walks you through every step with screenshots, from installation to your first query.

Installing MySQL & Northwind — Step-by-Step Guide

0

📦 Step 0 — Prepare the Source Files

Download two SQL files from Google Drive

Before you open anything, make sure the following two files have been downloaded from Google Drive and are saved on your computer:

📄

NORTHWIND(4).sql

The structure file — builds the empty tables

📊

northwind-data.sql

The data file — inserts the actual data

⚠️ Required file

Note: the northwind-data.sql file is the most important one. Make sure you pick it and not a similarly named file.

1

🏗️ Step 1 — Lay the Foundation (Structure)

Open the structure file in MySQL Workbench

Open MySQL Workbench.

📂

In the top menu, click File and then choose: Open SQL Script...

🖱️

In the dialog that opens, navigate to the folder where you saved the files. Select the first file: NORTHWIND(4).sql

⚡

Once you select the file, the code appears on screen. Click the lightning-bolt icon in the top toolbar to run the script and build the tables.

* Note: this file builds the empty tables. It is the skeleton of the database.

✓ Step 1 complete: the tables were created successfully. The structure now exists but is empty. The next step brings in the data.

2

💾 Step 2 — Import the Data

Load the data file into the tables

📂

Repeat the same process: File → Open SQL Script...

🖱️

This time select the second file: northwind-data.sql — not the schema file from before

⚡

The new code appears on screen (replacing the previous code). Click the lightning-bolt icon again to insert the data into the tables you created.

Note: this step may take a few seconds — the script inserts thousands of rows. Wait until you see a success message.

✓

✅ Quality Check — Verify the Result

Make sure Northwind appears in the Schemas list

Once the process is complete, here is how you know everything worked:

👈

Go to the Schemas panel on the left and click the Refresh button.

🔍

You will now see Northwind in the list, shown in bold. That means the database is ready!

🎉 Congratulations! Your environment is ready. You can now start writing SQL queries on the Northwind database.

Click Northwind in the list to set it as the active database, and you are good to go.

Common issue: if Northwind does not appear — make sure you clicked Refresh and that you ran both files (NORTHWIND(4).sql and northwind-data.sql).

🚀

Check it works — run your first query

If you get results — you did it!

Open a new Query Editor in Workbench and run:

USE Northwind;
SELECT * FROM customers LIMIT 5;

If you get a table with 5 customers — the database is working perfectly! 🎉

Building Your Work Environment