SQLCMD - Being able to run mutliple .SQL files

Recently I came across a scenario that required me to generate and keep individual .SQL files. However, I also needed to run them in a certain order all the time there was a change to the database schema.

I found a way to run them at one time versus running them individually, using the new MicroSoft SQL Server Management Studio (express) for SQL 2005 db server.

Although the instructions do provide the commands allowed one thing I had to figure out on my own was the syntax for the comman :r.

The command :r is the command which you can use to run a .SQL file by specifying a path to the file. However, in my case I had spaces in the directory path. (i.e. C:\Filepath\file name.sql). For this reason I had to enclose the path with double quotes. (i.e. :r "C:\Filepath\file name.sql").

You will need to write one :r command for each .sql file you want to execute. In my case there were 4 .sql files. This reduced the amount of steps I had to perform everytime I had a schema change.

Update I have found that altough this provides for convenience it does not parse the files correctly if the files contain appostrophies/ or single quotes ( ' ) in the values of a query. For example, I had some insert statements that contained values like O''Grady. The additional bolded appostrophy is required in order for the parser to recognize the following character as part of the value, instead of termination dillimeter of the query. Or at least I thought. When I ran the query in MicroSoft SQL Server Management Studio (express) it ran fine. When I executed the file, following the instructions above in my original blog, I found the values that were being inserted were infact incomplete. In the example of the O'Grady insert statement, it inserted Orady instead. As to why this happens, well my assumption is that the parser that SQLCMD uses is not the same that MSSMS uses. I could be wrong but after this disappointment I didn't want to spend more time then I had to.

I still use the SQLCMD for .SQL files that don't have query values with appostrophies. However, I try to keep all the queries that do have appostrophies and run them in the query window. Still reduces the amount of steps but not down to one as I was hoping.