Codeigniter - multiple database connections

I have to retrieve a MySQL database information from master database and then connect to that database, and fetch some records.

I mean that holding one database I want to load another database.

Is it possible with Codeigniter? Right now I'm using following lines of code in my model.

function connectDb($credential)
{

    $config['hostname'] = $credential['server'];
    $config['username'] = $credential['username'];
    $config['password'] = $credential['password'];
    $config['database'] = $credential['database'];
    $config['dbdriver'] = "mysql";
    $config['dbprefix'] = "";
    $config['pconnect'] = FALSE;
    $config['db_debug'] = TRUE;
    $config['cache_on'] = FALSE;
    $config['cachedir'] = "";
    $config['char_set'] = "utf8";
    $config['dbcollat'] = "utf8_general_ci";

    $DB2=$this->load->database($config);

    $DB2->db->select('first_name,last_name');
    $query = $DB2->db->get('person');
    print_r($query);

}

its not working is there any other way?

You should provide the second database information in `application/config/database.php´

Normally, you would set the default database group, like so:

$db['default']['hostname'] = "localhost";
$db['default']['username'] = "root";
$db['default']['password'] = "";
$db['default']['database'] = "database_name";
$db['default']['dbdriver'] = "mysql";
$db['default']['dbprefix'] = "";
$db['default']['pconnect'] = TRUE;
$db['default']['db_debug'] = FALSE;
$db['default']['cache_on'] = FALSE;
$db['default']['cachedir'] = "";
$db['default']['char_set'] = "utf8";
$db['default']['dbcollat'] = "utf8_general_ci";
$db['default']['swap_pre'] = "";
$db['default']['autoinit'] = TRUE;
$db['default']['stricton'] = FALSE;

Notice that the login information and settings are provided in the array named $db['default'].

You can then add another database in a new array - let's call it 'otherdb'.

$db['otherdb']['hostname'] = "localhost";
$db['otherdb']['username'] = "root";
$db['otherdb']['password'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['database'] = "other_database_name";
$db['otherdb']['dbdriver'] = "mysql";
$db['otherdb']['dbprefix'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['pconnect'] = TRUE;
$db['otherdb']['db_debug'] = FALSE;
$db['otherdb']['cache_on'] = FALSE;
$db['otherdb']['cachedir'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['char_set'] = "utf8";
$db['otherdb']['dbcollat'] = "utf8_general_ci";
$db['otherdb']['swap_pre'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['autoinit'] = TRUE;
$db['otherdb']['stricton'] = FALSE;

Now, to actually use the second database, you have to send the connection to another variabel that you can use in your model:

function my_model_method()
{
  $otherdb = $this->load->database('otherdb', TRUE); // the TRUE paramater tells CI that you'd like to return the database object.

  $query = $otherdb->select('first_name, last_name')->get('person');
  var_dump($query);
}

That should do it. The documentation for connecting to multiple databases can be found here: http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/database/connecting.html

The best way is to use different database groups. If you want to keep using the master database as usual ($this->db) just turn off persistent connexion configuration option to your secondary database(s). Only master database should work with persistent connexion :

Master database

$db['default']['hostname'] = "localhost";
$db['default']['username'] = "root";
$db['default']['password'] = "";
$db['default']['database'] = "database_name";
$db['default']['dbdriver'] = "mysql";
$db['default']['dbprefix'] = "";
$db['default']['pconnect'] = TRUE;
$db['default']['db_debug'] = FALSE;
$db['default']['cache_on'] = FALSE;
$db['default']['cachedir'] = "";
$db['default']['char_set'] = "utf8";
$db['default']['dbcollat'] = "utf8_general_ci";
$db['default']['swap_pre'] = "";
$db['default']['autoinit'] = TRUE;
$db['default']['stricton'] = FALSE;

Secondary database (notice pconnect is set to false)

$db['otherdb']['hostname'] = "localhost";
$db['otherdb']['username'] = "root";
$db['otherdb']['password'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['database'] = "other_database_name";
$db['otherdb']['dbdriver'] = "mysql";
$db['otherdb']['dbprefix'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['pconnect'] = FALSE;
$db['otherdb']['db_debug'] = FALSE;
$db['otherdb']['cache_on'] = FALSE;
$db['otherdb']['cachedir'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['char_set'] = "utf8";
$db['otherdb']['dbcollat'] = "utf8_general_ci";
$db['otherdb']['swap_pre'] = "";
$db['otherdb']['autoinit'] = TRUE;
$db['otherdb']['stricton'] = FALSE;

Then you can use secondary databases as database objects while using master database as usual :

// use master dataabse
$users = $this->db->get('users');

// connect to secondary database
$otherdb = $this->load->database('otherdb', TRUE);
$stuff = $otherdb->get('struff');
$otherdb->insert_batch('users', $users->result_array());

// keep using master database as usual, for example insert stuff from other database
$this->db->insert_batch('stuff', $stuff->result_array());

Use this.

$dsn1 = 'mysql://user:password@localhost/db1';
$this->db1 = $this->load->database($dsn1, true);     

$dsn2 = 'mysql://user:password@localhost/db2';
$this->db2= $this->load->database($dsn2, true);     

$dsn3 = 'mysql://user:password@localhost/db3';
$this->db3= $this->load->database($dsn3, true);   

Usage

$this->db1 ->insert('tablename', $insert_array);
$this->db2->insert('tablename', $insert_array);
$this->db3->insert('tablename', $insert_array);

It works fine for me...

This is default database :

$db['default'] = array(
    'dsn'   => '',
    'hostname' => 'localhost',
    'username' => 'root',
    'password' => '',
    'database' => 'mydatabase',
    'dbdriver' => 'mysqli',
    'dbprefix' => '',
    'pconnect' => TRUE,
    'db_debug' => (ENVIRONMENT !== 'production'),
    'cache_on' => FALSE,
    'cachedir' => '',
    'char_set' => 'utf8',
    'dbcollat' => 'utf8_general_ci',
    'swap_pre' => '',
    'encrypt' => FALSE,
    'compress' => FALSE,
    'stricton' => FALSE,
    'failover' => array(),
    'save_queries' => TRUE
);

Add another database at the bottom of database.php file

$db['second'] = array(
    'dsn'   => '',
    'hostname' => 'localhost',
    'username' => 'root',
    'password' => '',
    'database' => 'mysecond',
    'dbdriver' => 'mysqli',
    'dbprefix' => '',
    'pconnect' => TRUE,
    'db_debug' => (ENVIRONMENT !== 'production'),
    'cache_on' => FALSE,
    'cachedir' => '',
    'char_set' => 'utf8',
    'dbcollat' => 'utf8_general_ci',
    'swap_pre' => '',
    'encrypt' => FALSE,
    'compress' => FALSE,
    'stricton' => FALSE,
    'failover' => array(),
    'save_queries' => TRUE
);

In autoload.php config file

$autoload['libraries'] = array('database', 'email', 'session');

The default database is worked fine by autoload the database library but second database load and connect by using constructor in model and controller...

<?php
    class Seconddb_model extends CI_Model {
        function __construct(){
            parent::__construct();
            //load our second db and put in $db2
            $this->db2 = $this->load->database('second', TRUE);
        }

        public function getsecondUsers(){
            $query = $this->db2->get('members');
            return $query->result(); 
        }

    }
?>