script I find useful for backing up mysql databases.

.mysql_access

MYSQL_USER="root"
MYSQL_PASS=""

mysqlbackups.sh

#! /bin/sh
#set -x

. /root/.mysql_access

# Directory where you want the backup files to be placed
path="/usr/backups/$(hostname)"

# MySQL Username and password
userpassword=" --user=${MYSQL_USER} --password=${MYSQL_PASS}"

# Databases excluded from backup
exclude="test information_schema"

# MySQL dump options
dumpoptions=" --quick --add-drop-database --add-drop-table --add-locks --disable-keys --extended-insert --routines --triggers --lock-tables"

# Unix Commands
chmod="$(which chmod)"
chown="$(which chown)"
find="$(which find)"
gzip="$(which gzip)"
mv="$(which mv)"
mysql="$(which mysql)"
mysqldump="$(which mysqldump)"

# Get all database list first
databases="$(${mysql} ${userpassword} -Bse 'show databases')"

# Create our backup directory if not already there
mkdir -p ${path}/mysql
if [ ! -d ${path}/mysql ]; then
   echo "Not a directory: ${path}/mysql"
   exit 1
fi

$chown -R 0:0 ${path}
$chmod 0640 ${path}
$chmod 0640 ${path}/mysql

# Dump all of our databases
echo "Dumping MySQL Databases"
for database in $databases
do
  skipdb=0

  for x in $exclude
  do
    [ "$database" = "$x" ] && skipdb=1 || :
  done

  if [ "$skipdb" = "0" ]; then
    file="$(date +"%Y%m%d_%H")_${database}.sql.gz"
    echo "Backup: ${database} (${file})"
    $mysqldump $userpassword $dumpoptions $database | $gzip -9 > ${path}/mysql/${file}.tmp
    $mv -f ${path}/mysql/${file}.tmp ${path}/mysql/${file}
  fi
done

# Remove backups older than 5 days
$find -E ${path}/mysql -regex '.*(0[1-9]|[12][0-9])_.*' -type f -mtime +5d -exec rm -f {} \;
$find ${path}/mysql -type f -mtime +60d -exec rm -f {} \;

exit;