Machbase DBMS
Getting Started
Quick Start

Quick Start

Get Machbase up and running in 5 minutes! This guide will walk you through installation, creating your first table, and running your first queries.

Prerequisites

  • Linux or Windows operating system
  • 100MB free disk space
  • Terminal access

Step 1: Install Machbase

Linux

Download and extract Machbase:

# Download package (replace x.x.x with actual version)
wget http://machbase.com/dist/machbase-fog-x.x.x.official-LINUX-X86-64-release.tgz

# Create directory and extract
mkdir machbase_home
tar zxf machbase-fog-x.x.x.official-LINUX-X86-64-release.tgz -C machbase_home

# Set environment variables
export MACHBASE_HOME=$(pwd)/machbase_home
export PATH=$MACHBASE_HOME/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$MACHBASE_HOME/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Windows

  1. Download the Windows installer (.msi file)
  2. Run the installer and follow the wizard
  3. The installer will automatically set up environment variables

Step 2: Create and Start Database 

# Create database
machadmin -c

# Start server
machadmin -u

You should see:

Database created successfully.
Machbase server started successfully.

Step 3: Connect to Machbase

Launch the interactive SQL client:

machsql

When prompted:

  • Server address: Press Enter (uses default 127.0.0.1)
  • User ID: Press Enter (uses default SYS)
  • Password: Type MANAGER and press Enter

You’ll see the Mach> prompt, ready for commands!

Step 4: Create Your First Table

Let’s create a table to store sensor temperature data:

CREATE TABLE sensor_data (
    sensor_id VARCHAR(20),
    temperature DOUBLE,
    humidity DOUBLE
);

Step 5: Insert Data

Add some sample sensor readings:

INSERT INTO sensor_data VALUES ('sensor01', 25.3, 65.2);
INSERT INTO sensor_data VALUES ('sensor01', 25.5, 64.8);
INSERT INTO sensor_data VALUES ('sensor02', 22.1, 70.5);

Step 6: Query Data

Retrieve your data:

-- Get all records
SELECT * FROM sensor_data;

-- Get records with timestamps
SELECT _arrival_time, * FROM sensor_data;

-- Get average temperature
SELECT AVG(temperature) FROM sensor_data;

-- Get data from last 10 minutes
SELECT * FROM sensor_data DURATION 10 MINUTE;

Note: The _arrival_time column is automatically added to every record with nanosecond precision!

Understanding the Results

When you run SELECT * FROM sensor_data, you’ll notice:

  1. Newest data first - Machbase automatically orders results by most recent
  2. Automatic timestamps - Every record has an _arrival_time column
  3. High precision - Timestamps are accurate to nanoseconds

Example output:

SENSOR_ID            TEMPERATURE  HUMIDITY
------------------------------------------------
sensor02             22.1         70.5
sensor01             25.5         64.8
sensor01             25.3         65.2
[3] row(s) selected.

What Just Happened?

Congratulations! You’ve just:

✓ Installed Machbase ✓ Created and started a database ✓ Connected using machsql ✓ Created a table ✓ Inserted time-series data ✓ Queried data with automatic timestamping

Next Steps

Now that you have Machbase running:

  1. First Steps - Learn more machsql commands
  2. Basic Concepts - Understand table types and when to use them
  3. Tutorials - Follow hands-on tutorials for real-world scenarios

Common Commands

Keep these handy:

# Start Machbase
machadmin -u

# Stop Machbase
machadmin -s

# Check if running
machadmin -e

# Connect to database
machsql

Troubleshooting

Server won’t start?

  • Check if port 5656 is available: netstat -an | grep 5656
  • Check logs in $MACHBASE_HOME/trc/ directory

Can’t connect?

  • Verify server is running: machadmin -e
  • Check default credentials: username SYS, password MANAGER

Need help?

Ready to dive deeper? Continue to First Steps to master the machsql command-line interface!

Last updated on
Installation Guide