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Most applications you install — WordPress, PrestaShop, Drupal — need a database. Creating one takes three steps in cPanel: the database itself, a user, and the link between them. Missing the third is the most common reason an installer fails.
Prerequisites
  • A Web Hosting service with OnetSolutions
  • Access to your cPanel account

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Creating a Database

1

Log in to cPanel

Access your cPanel account through the OnetSolutions dashboard.
2

Open MySQL Databases

In the “Databases” section, click “MySQL Databases”.
3

Create the database

Enter a name under “Create New Database” and click “Create Database”. cPanel prefixes it with your account name, so shop becomes username_shop — the prefixed form is what your application needs.
4

Create a user

Scroll to “MySQL Users”, enter a username and a strong password, then click “Create User”. The username is prefixed the same way.
5

Link the user to the database

Under “Add User To Database”, select the user and the database, click “Add”, then grant “ALL PRIVILEGES” on the next screen.
A database and a user are separate objects. Creating both without linking them leaves the application unable to connect, with an error that usually blames the password. If a fresh install refuses to connect, check this link first.

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Connection Settings

Use these values in your application’s configuration:
localhost is correct because the application and the database run on the same server. Remote connections are not open by default — an application hosted elsewhere cannot reach this database without additional configuration.

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Using phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is the web interface for inspecting and editing your data directly.
1

Open phpMyAdmin

In the “Databases” section of cPanel, click “phpMyAdmin”. It opens already authenticated — there is no separate password.
2

Select your database

Pick it from the list on the left. Tables appear underneath.
3

Work on the data

Use “Browse” to read rows, “Search” to filter, and “SQL” to run a query.
There is no undo in phpMyAdmin. A DELETE or UPDATE without a WHERE clause changes every row and cannot be reversed. Export the table before running anything you have not run before.

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Exporting and Importing

Export before any risky change, and to move a site between hosts.
1

Export

Select the database, open the “Export” tab, keep the “Quick” method and the SQL format, then click “Export”. The file downloads to your computer.
2

Import

Select the target database, open the “Import” tab, choose your .sql file and click “Import”.
Large imports can exceed the upload limit. If the file is too big, compress it to .sql.gz — phpMyAdmin accepts compressed dumps and the size drops considerably.

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Troubleshooting

Check the four values in order: prefixed database name, prefixed username, password, and host set to localhost. Then confirm the user is actually linked to the database with privileges granted.
Either the password is wrong, or the user has no privileges on that database. Re-adding the user to the database and granting ALL PRIVILEGES resolves the second case.
Usually the file exceeds the upload or execution limit. Compress the dump, or split it into several files and import them in order.
The name is missing its prefix. shop does not exist; username_shop does.
Give each application its own database and its own user. Sharing one user across several sites means one leaked password exposes all of them.
Database contents are included in your hosting backups, but exporting before a major change remains the fastest way back.