Creating a database with only MySQL command line?
Yes, most linux system administrators only use the command lines client (or other cli tools to work with the database). Maybe the only other thing you will need for design is a text editor (for writing easily before executing), like vi(m), nano or emacs, and pen and paper.

Here it is a first crash course:


Create a database:

CREATE DATABASE your_database_name;

Change the current database:

use your_database_name

Create your first table:

 CREATE TABLE your_table (
     id bigint unsigned PRIMARY KEY auto_increment,
     name varchar(50) NOT NULL,
     description text,
     modified_on timestamp
 ) ENGINE = InnoDB;

Populate your table:

 INSERT INTO your_table (name, description) VALUES ('pheidlauf', 'You are awesome');

Select your table:

 SELECT * FROM your_table;



Learn about MySQL SQL variant, in particular DDL commands, DCL and about using the command line client. There are many resources (I have just linked to wikibooks and the official MySQL documentation), but the command line client also has integrated help:

mysql&gt; help create table


Another quick startup guide.