What is SQLCMD in PowerShell?

Question

I have been trying to develop a function that handles all the SQLCMD requirements for a complex process. This includes mixed connection modes (trusted or username/password), different databases, statement execution or script file execution, capturing output to variables or to a file for parsing, lots of variables pass-through and generating dynamic SQL to a file (using both select and print statements and very wide output). I had tried and discounted ADO.NET and had been testing between Invoke-SQLCMD and Start-Process -FilePath ...\SQLCmd.exe...

I found a reference to SQLCMD and I copied/pasted it in to powershell, modified it and it worked!

$result = sqlcmd -U uuuuu -P pppppp -i "D:\temp\testscript.sql" -v time="'time'" -S $server -d Master -w 3000

But what is it? When I do get-help SQLCMD, it only lists Invoke-SQLCMD and my functions. When I do get-alias sqlcmd it throws an error as it doesn't exist. I have a $sqlcmd variable but I'm not referencing it like that.

By the way, if anyone knows of a useful SQLCMD function that handles all this, happy to look.

It's an external/native executable application (same as ping.exe, notepad.exe or powershell.exe for that matter). The command you're looking for to discover this is Get-Command sqlcmd :) — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Mar 16, 2022 at 0:13
I don't understand... you are "trying to develop a function that handles all the SQLCMD requirements" but you don't know what SQLCMD is? Where does this requirement come from? Why not just use SQLCMD.... end of story? — Nick.Mc
– Nick.Mc, Commented Mar 16, 2022 at 0:31
Excellent, thanks @MathiasR.Jessen. That's the info I needed. — madturbocow
– madturbocow, Commented Mar 16, 2022 at 1:49
@Nick.McDermaid - I was using Invoke-SQLCmd and Start-Process ...SQLCMD... but I didn't know I could just use SQLCmd directly from powershell and what it was actually running. As Mathias explained, it's an external command which is what I thought but couldn't understand why I couldn't find any reference to it from Powershell. get-command is the answer. — madturbocow
– madturbocow, Commented Mar 16, 2022 at 1:51

Mathias R. Jessen · Accepted Answer · 2022-03-16 10:54:27Z

1

As mentioned in the comments, the command you're looking for is Get-Command:

PS ~> Get-Command sqlcmd |Format-Table -AutoSize

CommandType Name       Version       Source
----------- ----       -------       ------
Application SQLCMD.EXE 15.0.1300.359 C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\

Under CommandType we can see that indeed it resolves to a native executable application, which is a valid command type in PowerShell (the same ping.exe, cmd.exe or even powershell.exe would be).

answered Mar 16, 2022 at 10:54

Mathias R. Jessen

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