From a security perspective, controlling access to the SHOW DATABASES command is an important consideration for database administrators. Unauthorized visibility of database names could potentially leak information about the structure and organization of a server, which might be useful for malicious actors conducting reconnaissance. Consequently, best practices recommend granting the SHOW DATABASES privilege only to trusted accounts or ensuring that users only have access to the databases they legitimately need to work with. In MySQL, managing privileges involves the use of the GRANT and REVOKE statements, typically handled by a database administrator with appropriate global privileges. The mysql system database holds the privilege tables that determine these permissions, and the visibility of databases through the SHOW DATABASES command is dynamically evaluated against these settings.

An important point of consideration is how the command behaves differently depending on the client interface being used. While the SHOW DATABASES command syntax remains consistent across various clients such as the command-line mysql client, graphical show databases command like MySQL Workbench, or web-based tools like phpMyAdmin, the way results are presented and options for filtering or interacting with the data may vary. For instance, MySQL Workbench displays the list of databases in its left-side navigation pane, and though it does not require the user to manually type the SHOW DATABASES command, it issues equivalent queries in the background. Understanding the underlying SQL commands helps users troubleshoot problems or customize their workflows more effectively.

In addition, there are circumstances where the SHOW DATABASES command might behave unexpectedly. One such scenario is when dealing with replicated environments. In master-slave setups, depending on the replication configuration and user privileges, a replicated MySQL instance might show different sets of databases. Furthermore, in cloud-hosted MySQL services, providers often restrict certain system databases from being visible or accessible to end-users for security and stability reasons. In such cases, even administrative users might see a limited set of databases, which can cause confusion unless one understands the underlying platform constraints.

The SHOW DATABASES command is often accompanied by related commands such as CREATE DATABASE, DROP DATABASE, USE, and SHOW TABLES, forming a basic toolkit for database exploration and management. After identifying available databases with SHOW DATABASES, a user typically issues the USE statement to select the desired database context, and then runs SHOW TABLES to inspect its structure. These fundamental commands create a natural workflow for interacting with MySQL databases, especially during initial setup, schema design, or exploratory troubleshooting. For users automating administrative tasks, combining SHOW DATABASES with other SQL queries via scripting languages like Python, PHP, or Bash allows for dynamic management operations, such as generating automated database health reports or performing bulk data exports.