Importing Structure and Data - Mastering phpMyAdmin 3.4 for Effective MySQL Management - page 150

By default, phpMyAdmin expects a CSV file with the same number of columns and
the same column order as the target table. This can be changed by entering a comma-
separated list of column names in Column names , respecting the source file format.
For example, let us say our source file contains only the author ID and the author
name information:
"1","John Smith"
"2","Maria Sunshine"
We would have to put id , name in Column names to match the source file.
When we click on Go , the import is executed and we get a confirmation. We might
also see the actual INSERT queries generated if the total size of the file is not too big.
Import has been successfully finished, 2 queries executed.
INSERT INTO `author` VALUES ('1', 'John Smith', '+01 445 789-1234'
)# 1 row(s) affected.
INSERT INTO `author` VALUES ('2', 'Maria Sunshine', '333-3333'
)# 1 row(s) affected.
CSV using LOAD DATA
With this method (only available in the Table view), phpMyAdmin relies on the
server's LOAD DATA INFILE or LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE mechanisms to do the actual
import, instead of processing the data internally. These statements are the fastest
way for importing text in MySQL. They cause MySQL to start a read operation either
from a file located on the MySQL server ( LOAD DATA INFILE ) or from another place
( LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE ), which in this context, is always the web server's file
system. If the MySQL server is located on a computer other than the web server, we
won't be able to use the LOAD DATA INFILE mechanism.
Requirements
Relying on the MySQL server has some consequences. Using LOAD DATA INFILE
requires that the logged-in user possess a global FILE privilege. Also, the file itself
must be readable by the MySQL server's process.
Chapter 19 explains phpMyAdmin's interface,
which can be used by system administrators to
manage privileges.