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Which install kit installs sqlcmd.exe?
Question
I recently had to uninstall Visual Studio 2012 and DTS, then install VS 2017 and DTS again. Afterwards, The directory containing sqlcmd.exe was not in my PATH variable. I installed the following.
vs_Professional-vs2017-15.9.41.exe SSDT-Setup-ENU-vs2017-15.9.9.exe
Should either of these kits install sqlcmd.exe? If not, which tool will install it? I need one that will work with SQL Server 2012+.
asked 2021-12-12 by lit
Answer
I’m not sure if either of those installers also install sqlcmd. Microsoft has shifted from "everything bundled together" types of installs to more modular installs.
I normally suggest explicitly installing it via the Command Line Utilities installer if you need it.
Some things (like the full SQL Server database engine) still include sqlcmd as part of the install, so take note of which version of sqlcmd gets used if there are multiple versions installed. You can determine this by running sqlcmd /? and examining the output for version information:
C:\Users\AMtwo>sqlcmd /? Microsoft (R) SQL Server Command Line Tool Version 15.0.2000.5 NT
answered 2021-12-13 by Andy Mallon