Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Cmdlet Example: Invoke-SqlCmd

The Invoke-SqlCmd cmdlet was mentioned earlier. It will likely be the most commonly used cmdlet currently provided. Here is a simple example using this cmdlet:

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Invoke-sqlcmd -query "exec sp_help"

Using Invoke-SqlCmd, you can simply pass any T-SQL–based query as a value to the cmdlet. The preceding basic example is provided by running a basic built-in stored procedure: sp_help.

This example demonstrates several important issues, given how powerful the provider can be. Based on the location in the SQL provider, some of the values passed to the cmdlet are automatically provided to the cmdlet by the provider itself: The server and database to query aren’t required in the command line.