Utilities

Prashanth Jayaram

Continuous Database Delivery (CD) using SQL Server Tools SqlPackage.exe

August 14, 2018 by

A little curiosity on my part led me to research a little further on the available pieces of SQL Server Tools. A cross-platform tool for continuous integration and deployment, called SqlPackage, is part of SQL Server Data Tools. I picked it up because continuous integration, delivery and deployment are now must-have in the modern-day application development paradigm.

We’d talk about the following in this article:

  1. The Database Management Life Cycle
  2. Complexities of the database release management process
  3. Introduction to SQL Server Data Tools and SqlPackage
  4. Using SqlPackage.exe, with examples
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Prashanth Jayaram

The BCP (Bulk Copy Program) command in action

August 13, 2018 by

There are various methods available for bulk data operations.

  1. BCP utility
  2. BULK INSERT
  3. Using OPENROWSET
  4. Import/Export wizard

The BCP (Bulk Copy Program) utility is a command line that program that bulk-copies data between a SQL instance and a data file using a special format file. The BCP utility can be used to import large numbers of rows into SQL Server or export SQL Server data into files. The BCP data files don’t include any schema details or format information. Hence, it is recommended to create a format file to record the data format so in case of any failures, you can refer to the format file and better understand the data format to determine what may have gone wrong..

We’ve been using the BCP tool for a long time, the reason being that it has a very low overhead, and works great for bulk exporting and importing of data. It is one of the most efficient ways to handle bulk import and export of data.

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Prashanth Jayaram

Overview of the SQLCMD utility in SQL Server

August 13, 2018 by

This article is aimed at helping you understand the sqlcmd utility. Of course, this is a tool most of us have used it at several occasions given that the tool has been around for a decade now. However, to be a solid starting point, this article contains some examples that help you understand the tool from different viewpoints.

This article discusses the following:

  1. How to enable SQLCMD
  2. A few important points to remember
  3. SQLCMD with scripting variables in SSMS
  4. Passing variables (or argument) as T-SQL and or a SQL Script file
  5. SQLCMD with scripting variables and Windows scripting in SSMS
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