Invoke-Sqlcmd cmdlet
Invoke-Sqlcmd is a SQL Server cmdlet that runs scripts that contain statements from the languages (Transact-SQL and XQuery) and commands that are supported by the sqlcmd utility.
Using Invoke-Sqlcmd
The Invoke-Sqlcmd cmdlet lets you run your sqlcmd script files in a Windows PowerShell environment. Much of what you can do with sqlcmd can also be done using Invoke-Sqlcmd.
This is an example of calling Invoke-Sqlcmd to execute a simple query, similar to specifying sqlcmd with the -Q and -S options:
Invoke-Sqlcmd -Query "SELECT GETDATE() AS TimeOfQuery;" -ServerInstance "MyComputer\MyInstance"
This is an example of calling Invoke-Sqlcmd, specifying an input file and piping the output to a file This is similar to specifying sqlcmd with the -i and -o options:
Invoke-Sqlcmd -InputFile "C:\MyFolder\TestSQLCmd.sql" | Out-File -FilePath "C:\MyFolder\TestSQLCmd.rpt"
This is an example of using a Windows PowerShell array to pass multiple sqlcmd scripting variables to Invoke-Sqlcmd. The "$" characters identifying the sqlcmd scripting variables in the SELECT statement have been escaped by using the PowerShell back-tick "`" escape character:
$MyArray = "MyVar1 = 'String1'", "MyVar2 = 'String2'"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -Query "SELECT `$(MyVar1) AS Var1, `$(MyVar2) AS Var2;" -Variable $MyArray
This is an example of using the SQL Server provider for Windows PowerShell to navigate to an instance of the Database Engine, and then using the Windows PowerShell Get-Item cmdlet to retrieve the SMO Server object for the instance and passing it to Invoke-Sqlcmd:
Set-Location SQLSERVER:\SQL\MyComputer\MyInstance
Invoke-Sqlcmd -Query "SELECT GETDATE() AS TimeOfQuery;" -ServerInstance (Get-Item .)
The -Query parameter is positional and does not have to be named. If the first string that is passed to Invoke-Sqlcmd: is unnamed, it is treated as the -Query parameter.
Invoke-Sqlcmd "SELECT GETDATE() AS TimeOfQuery;" -ServerInstance "MyComputer\MyInstance"
Path Context in Invoke-Sqlcmd
If you do not use the -Database parameter, the database context for Invoke-Sqlcmd is set by the path that is active when the cmdlet is called.
| Path | Database Context |
|---|---|
| Starts with a drive other than SQLSERVER: | The default database for the login ID in the default instance on the local computer. |
| SQLSERVER:\SQL | The default database for the login ID in the default instance on the local computer. |
| SQLSERVER:\SQL\ComputerName | The default database for the login ID in the default instance on the specified computer. |
| SQLSERVER:\SQL\ComputerName\InstanceName | The default database for the login ID in the specified instance on the specified computer. |
| SQLSERVER:\SQL\ComputerName\InstanceName\Databases | The default database for the login ID in the specified instance on the specified computer. |
| SQLSERVER:\SQL\ComputerName\InstanceName\Databases\DatabaseName | The specified database in the specified instance on the specified computer. This also applies to longer paths, such as a path that specifies the Tables and Columns node within a database. |
For example, assume that the default database for your Windows account in the default instance of the local computer is master. Then, the following commands would return master:
Set-Location SQLSERVER:\SQL
Invoke-Sqlcmd "SELECT DB_NAME() AS DatabaseName;"
The following commands would return AdventureWorks2012:
Set-Location SQLSERVER:\SQL\MyComputer\DEFAULT\Databases\AdventureWorks2012\Tables\Person.Person
Invoke-Sqlcmd "SELECT DB_NAME() AS DatabaseName;"
Invoke-Sqlcmd provides a warning when it uses the path database context. You can use the -SuppressProviderContextWarning parameter to turn off the warning message. You can use the -IgnoreProviderContext parameter to tell Invoke-Sqlcmd to always use the default database for the login.
Comparing Invoke-Sqlcmd and the sqlcmd Utility
Invoke-Sqlcmd can be used to run many of the scripts that can be run using the sqlcmd utility. However, Invoke-Sqlcmd runs in a Windows PowerShell environment which is different than the command prompt environment that sqlcmd is run in. The behavior of Invoke-Sqlcmd has been modified to work in a Windows PowerShell environment.
Not all of the sqlcmd commands are implemented in Invoke-Sqlcmd. Commands that are not implemented include the following: :!!, :connect, :error, :out, :ed, :list, :listvar, :reset, :perftrace, and :serverlist.
Invoke-Sqlcmd does not initialize the sqlcmd environment or scripting variables such as SQLCMDDBNAME or SQLCMDWORKSTATION.
Invoke-Sqlcmd does not display messages, such as the output of PRINT statements, unless you specify the Windows PowerShell -Verbose common parameter. For example:
Invoke-Sqlcmd -Query "PRINT N'abc';" -Verbose
Not all of the sqlcmd parameters are needed in a PowerShell environment. For example, Windows PowerShell formats all output from cmdlets, so the sqlcmd parameters specifying formatting options are not implemented in Invoke-Sqlcmd. The following table shows the relationship between the Invoke-Sqlcmd parameters and sqlcmd options:
| Description | sqlcmd option | Invoke-Sqlcmd parameter |
|---|---|---|
| Server and instance name. | -S | -ServerInstance |
| The initial database to use. | -d | -Database |
| Run the specified query and exit. | -Q | -Query |
| SQL Server Authentication login ID. | -U | -Username |
| SQL Server Authentication password. | -P | -Password |
| Variable definition. | -v | -Variable |
| Query timeout interval. | -t | -QueryTimeout |
| Stop running on an error | -b | -AbortOnError |
| Dedicated Administrator Connection. | -A | -DedicatedAdministratorConnection |
| Disable interactive commands, startup script, and environment variables. | -X | -DisableCommands |
| Disable variable substitution. | -x | -DisableVariables |
| Minimum severity level to report. | -V | -SeverityLevel |
| Minimum error level to report. | -m | -ErrorLevel |
| Login timeout interval. | -l | -ConnectionTimeout |
| Hostname. | -H | -HostName |
| Change password and exit. | -Z | -NewPassword |
| Input file containing a query | -i | -InputFile |
| Maximum length of character output. | -w | -MaxCharLength |
| Maximum length of binary output. | -w | -MaxBinaryLength |
| Connect using SSL encryption. | No parameter | -EncryptConnection |
| Display errors | No parameter | -OutputSqlErrors |
| Output messages to stderr. | -r | No parameter |
| Use client's regional settings | -R | No parameter |
| Run the specified query and remain running. | -q | No parameter |
| Code page to use for output data. | -f | No parameter |
| Change a password and remain running | -z | No parameter |
| Packet size | -a | No parameter |
| Column separator | -s | No parameter |
| Control output headers | -h | No parameter |
| Specify control characters | -k | No parameter |
| Fixed length display width | -Y | No parameter |
| Variable length display width | -y | No parameter |
| Echo input | -e | No parameter |
| Enable quoted identifiers | -I | No parameter |
| Remove trailing spaces | -W | No parameter |
| List instances | -L | No parameter |
| Format output as Unicode | -u | No parameter |
| Print statistics | -p | No parameter |
| Command end | -c | No parameter |
| Connect using Windows Authentication | -E | No parameter |
See Also
Use the Database Engine cmdlets
sqlcmd Utility
Use the sqlcmd Utility