Phpmyadmin uses the php.ini file
The php.ini file imposes restrictions on phpmyadmin. For example, uploading a large database through phpmyadmin requires php.ini "upload_max_filesize" to accomodate the size. Likewise all other normal php configurations like timeouts
; phpmyadmin developer settings
; file ~/php.ini
upload_max_filesize = 500M
max_input_time=1000
memory_limit=2048
max_execution_time=1000