📖 Help & FAQ

How to safely collect diagnostic information for MySQL Advisor

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How MySQL Advisor works

  1. Provide inputs. Paste or upload SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES, SHOW GLOBAL STATUS, pt-summary, and/or pt-mysql-summary output in the matching tabs — or use Collect data from MySQL with read-only credentials so the tool can fetch variables and status for you.
  2. Security verification. Enter the CAPTCHA code (required before analysis).
  3. Analyze. Click Analyze Configuration. The tool evaluates your inputs and shows an on-page report with findings and recommendations.
  4. Export. Download the same report as HTML, Markdown, or a Word document (.doc) from the Analysis Results toolbar.

For a guided tour of the UI, open the main tool and use How this works.

FAQ — Collecting MySQL Diagnostic Data

All commands below are read-only unless explicitly stated. Safe to run on production systems.

✅ No writes  ·  No locks  ·  No performance impact

Supported Technologies

⚡ Quick Checklist

□ pt-summary
□ pt-mysql-summary
□ SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES
□ SHOW GLOBAL STATUS
□ Read-only MySQL user

Variable Reference

Browse detailed documentation for all 115 MySQL variables checked by the advisor, including scope, defaults, severity levels, and tuning guidance.

Browse Variable Reference →
1

Collect pt-summary — server-level info

OS access Safe

pt-summary collects OS, hardware, kernel, and MySQL runtime metadata. It does not modify the system and is safe for production environments. 

wget https://www.percona.com/get/pt-summary
chmod +x pt-summary
./pt-summary > server_name_$(date +%d%m%y)_pt-summary.txt

Alternative: Install via package manager (includes all pt-* tools): 

# Debian / Ubuntu
apt install percona-toolkit

# RHEL / CentOS / Amazon Linux
yum install percona-toolkit
  • Does not modify the system
  • Safe for production
  • Requires OS (shell) access to the server
2

Collect pt-mysql-summary — MySQL config & schema

OS access Read-only

pt-mysql-summary collects MySQL version, configuration variables, storage engines, and schema & index metadata using standard SQL queries only. 

wget https://www.percona.com/get/pt-mysql-summary
chmod +x pt-mysql-summary
./pt-mysql-summary --user=advisor --password --host=localhost \
  > server_name_$(date +%d%m%y)_pt-mysql-summary.txt

Alternative: Install via package manager (includes all pt-* tools): 

# Debian / Ubuntu
apt install percona-toolkit

# RHEL / CentOS / Amazon Linux
yum install percona-toolkit
  • Read-only — uses SELECT queries only
  • Safe for production
  • Replace advisor with your read-only username
3

Collect SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES

SQL Read-only

Exports all MySQL server configuration variables to a file. This is required for the core analysis. 

mysql -u advisor -p -e "SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES" \
  > server_name_$(date +%d%m%y)_global_variables.txt
  • Paste the output into the SHOW VARIABLES tab in MySQL Advisor
  • Or use the Collect data from MySQL panel to fetch it automatically
4

Collect SHOW GLOBAL STATUS

SQL Read-only

Exports runtime status counters — connections, InnoDB metrics, query cache hits, replication lag, etc. Run during normal workload hours for the most accurate analysis. 

mysql -u advisor -p -e "SHOW GLOBAL STATUS" \
  > server_name_$(date +%d%m%y)_global_status.txt
  • Paste into the SHOW GLOBAL STATUS tab in MySQL Advisor
  • Or use the Collect data from MySQL panel to fetch it automatically
5

Create a read-only MySQL user

SQL

Create a dedicated, minimal-privilege user for analysis. No INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or DDL permissions are granted. 

CREATE USER 'advisor'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPasswordHere';

-- Core privileges
GRANT SELECT, PROCESS, SHOW VIEW ON *.* TO 'advisor'@'%';

-- Optional: replication visibility
GRANT REPLICATION CLIENT ON *.* TO 'advisor'@'%';

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Privilege Purpose
SELECT Read metadata and configuration tables
PROCESS View the process list for active queries
SHOW VIEW Inspect view definitions
REPLICATION CLIENT Check replication status (optional)
6

Files to upload to MySQL Advisor

Upload or paste the following files into their respective tabs in MySQL Advisor.

📄 *_pt-summary.txt optional
📄 *_pt-mysql-summary.txt optional
📄 *_global_variables.txt required
📄 *_global_status.txt required
7

Security & Privacy Notes

  • No table data or row contents are collected
  • No passwords appear in any output files
  • Hostnames, IPs, and file paths may appear — review before sharing if required
  • MySQL Advisor processes data server-side and never stores it
  • No external network calls are made during analysis

⚠ Before sharing output files

  • Review files for any IP addresses or hostnames you consider sensitive
  • Schema names and table names may appear in pt-mysql-summary
  • Redact as needed before uploading to a shared environment
💡

Run these commands during normal workload hours for the most accurate analysis.