sqlcmd - Run Transact-SQL script files
Applies to:
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Use sqlcmd to run a Transact-SQL script file. A Transact-SQL script file is a text file that can contain a combination of Transact-SQL statements, sqlcmd commands, and scripting variables.
Create a script file
To create a Transact-SQL script file by using Notepad, follow these steps:
Select Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then select Notepad.
Copy and paste the following Transact-SQL code into Notepad:
USE AdventureWorks2022; GO SELECT p.FirstName + ' ' + p.LastName AS 'Employee Name', a.AddressLine1, a.AddressLine2 , a.City, a.PostalCode FROM Person.Person AS p INNER JOIN HumanResources.Employee AS e ON p.BusinessEntityID = e.BusinessEntityID INNER JOIN Person.BusinessEntityAddress bea ON bea.BusinessEntityID = e.BusinessEntityID INNER JOIN Person.Address AS a ON a.AddressID = bea.AddressID; GO
Save the file as myScript.sql in the C drive.
Run the script file
Open a command prompt window.
In the Command Prompt window, type:
sqlcmd -S myServer\instanceName -i C:\myScript.sql
Press ENTER.
A list of Adventure Works employee names and addresses is written to the command prompt window.
Save the output to a text file
Open a command prompt window.
In the Command Prompt window, type:
sqlcmd -S myServer\instanceName -i C:\myScript.sql -o C:\EmpAdds.txt
Press ENTER.
No output is returned in the Command Prompt window. Instead, the output is sent to the EmpAdds.txt file. You can verify this output by opening the EmpAdds.txt file.