Are you looking for a powerful tool to run ad hoc Transact-SQL statements and scripts from the command prompt? Look no further than SQL Server’s sqlcmd utility. Introduced in SQL Server 2005, sqlcmd offers a range of functionalities that make it a better replacement for the deprecated isql and osql utilities.
One of the key advantages of sqlcmd is its ability to connect to earlier versions of SQL Server. This means that even if you’re working with an older version of SQL Server, you can still leverage the power of sqlcmd to execute T-SQL commands.
Let’s take a look at a simple example to understand how sqlcmd works:
- Open the command prompt by going to Start, Run, and typing “cmd”. Press Enter.
- Type “sqlcmd” and press Enter to launch the sqlcmd utility.
- Switch the database context to AdventureWorks by typing “USE AdventureWorks” and pressing Enter. You can use the “GO” command to separate batches of code.
- Now you can run any T-SQL query. The results will be displayed in the command prompt window.
- You can also run the same query in SQL Server Management Studio’s Query Editor to compare the results.
- If you want to exit the sqlcmd utility, simply type “exit” at any point.
As you can see, using sqlcmd is straightforward and provides a convenient way to execute T-SQL commands from the command prompt. However, this utility is capable of much more than just running simple queries. In future articles, we will explore the advanced features and functionalities of sqlcmd.
Stay tuned for more SQL Server tips and tricks!