Martin:
I can understand your frustration, but I have a question: where did you find a Beginner's Guide?
Okay, I'm a newbie too and I'm struggling, but I understand that MySQL isn't MS Access. You cannot assume that learning to use MySQL will be as easy as learning Access. Also making the assumption that MySQL will be as easy on the brain as it is on the wallet is equally false.
On the other hand, telling someone they need to spend a week or two and gobs of money on training classes before they can "turn on" the software is poor marketing.
But maybe MySQL is not for you. Do you need client/server (i.e. multiple clients connected to a single database). Do you need to run more than one database at a time? Do you need clustering, either for performance or reliability? Do you need to build an application around your data, such as a website where your site visitors can view and manipulate data in in real time? If not, then simply go out and buy a copy of Access. You'll be much happier.
On the other hand if you're shopping for a solution and the competition is Oracle, MS SQL, DB2, etc. then maybe MySQL is a good fit. Of course if you have the money for Oracle, you can afford the training classes too.
Several years ago I decided I needed ISP-class e-mail server software (ISP-class = hosting multiple domains and Internet standards based). I could go out and download something for free, but e-mail can be tricky, if you config your server badly you can get blackballed by the anti-spam people; I was running Windows Server, but was considering switching to some flavor of *nix; and I had no clue what I was doing. I finally found something that worked that wasn't a "kit" and didn't have an Everest-sized learning curve. It cost me money, but I had it working in about a day, so it was a good deal.
Back to MySQL:
It would be insanely great if there was The Complete Newbie's Guide to Getting Started With MySQL. The help files are okay, but as seems to be typical with so many help files, they fail to address why I might even care about a certain feature. For example I'm running the GUI Administrator tool and looking at Startup Variables--what the heck? What do they do? Sure, some of them I can puzzle out, but...
Then I find this document,
MySQL Administrator Best Practices http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/mysql-administrator-best-practices.html (apparently the PDF version was removed from the website), which is more about what an administrator (as in job title) would do rather than getting the most out of Administrator (the GUI tool).
FYI: "root" is a traditional username that has been in continuous use since before the time of Windows, or Mac OS even. Think of "root" = "administrator" but with a lot less typing.
But yea... we need that
The Complete Newbie's Guide to Getting Started With MySQL, with emphasis on getting started. That is, what do I do first?
I'll get there.
Scotty