1. In the [SQL Shell](https://console.materialize.com/), or your preferred SQL
   client connected to Materialize, use the [`CREATE SECRET`](/sql/create-secret/)
   command to securely store the password for the `materialize` MySQL user
   you created [earlier](#2-create-a-user-for-replication):

    ```mzsql
    CREATE SECRET mysqlpass AS '<PASSWORD>';
    ```

    For AWS IAM authentication, you must create a connection to AWS.  See the [`CREATE CONNECTION`](/sql/create-connection/#aws) command for details.

1. Use the [`CREATE CONNECTION`](/sql/create-connection/) command to create a
   connection object with access and authentication details for Materialize to
   use:

    ```mzsql
    CREATE CONNECTION mysql_connection TO MYSQL (
        HOST <host>,
        PORT 3306,
        USER 'materialize',
        PASSWORD SECRET mysqlpass,
        SSL MODE REQUIRED
    );
    ```

    - Replace `<host>` with your MySQL endpoint.

    AWS IAM authentication is also available, see the [`CREATE CONNECTION`](/sql/create-connection/#mysql) command for details.

1. Use the [`CREATE SOURCE`](/sql/create-source/) command to connect Materialize
   to your MySQL instance and start ingesting data:

    ```mzsql
    CREATE SOURCE mz_source
      FROM mysql CONNECTION mysql_connection
      FOR ALL TABLES;
    ```

    - By default, the source will be created in the active cluster; to use a
      different cluster, use the `IN CLUSTER` clause.

    - To ingest data from specific schemas or tables, use the `FOR SCHEMAS
      (<schema1>,<schema2>)` or `FOR TABLES (<table1>, <table2>)` options
      instead of `FOR ALL TABLES`.

    - To handle unsupported data types, use the `TEXT COLUMNS` or `IGNORE
      COLUMNS` options. Check out the [reference documentation](/sql/create-source/mysql/#supported-types)
      for guidance.

1. After source creation, you can handle upstream [schema changes](/sql/create-source/mysql/#schema-changes)
   by dropping and recreating the source.