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@setfilename sql.info

@documentencoding utf-8

@settitle sql - execute a command on a database determined by a dburl

@node Top
@top sql

@chapter NAME
@anchor{NAME}

sql - execute a command on a database determined by a dburl

@chapter SYNOPSIS
@anchor{SYNOPSIS}

@strong{sql} [options] @emph{dburl} [@emph{commands}]

@strong{sql} [options] @emph{dburl} < commandfile

@strong{#!/usr/bin/sql} @strong{--shebang} [options] @emph{dburl}

@chapter DESCRIPTION
@anchor{DESCRIPTION}

GNU @strong{sql} aims to give a simple, unified interface for accessing
databases through all the different databases' command line
clients. So far the focus has been on giving a common way to specify
login information (protocol, username, password, hostname, and port
number), size (database and table size), and running queries.

The database is addressed using a DBURL. If @emph{commands} are left out
you will get that database's interactive shell.

GNU @strong{sql} is often used in combination with GNU @strong{parallel}.

@table @asis
@item @emph{dburl}
@anchor{@emph{dburl}}

A DBURL has the following syntax:
[sql:]vendor://
[[user][:password]@@][host][:port]/[database][?sqlquery]

See the section DBURL below.

@item @emph{commands}
@anchor{@emph{commands}}

The SQL commands to run. Each argument will have a newline
appended.

Example: "SELECT * FROM foo;" "SELECT * FROM bar;"

If the arguments contain '\n' or '\x0a' this will be replaced with a
newline:

Example: "SELECT * FROM foo;\n SELECT * FROM bar;"

If no commands are given SQL is read from the keyboard or STDIN.

Example: echo 'SELECT * FROM foo;' | sql mysql:///

@item @strong{--db-size}
@anchor{@strong{--db-size}}

@item @strong{--dbsize}
@anchor{@strong{--dbsize}}

Size of database. Show the size of the database on disk. For Oracle
this requires access to read the table @emph{dba_data_files} - the user
@emph{system} has that.

@item @strong{--help}
@anchor{@strong{--help}}

@item @strong{-h}
@anchor{@strong{-h}}

Print a summary of the options to GNU @strong{sql} and exit.

@item @strong{--html}
@anchor{@strong{--html}}

HTML output. Turn on HTML tabular output.

@item @strong{--show-processlist}
@anchor{@strong{--show-processlist}}

@item @strong{--proclist}
@anchor{@strong{--proclist}}

@item @strong{--listproc}
@anchor{@strong{--listproc}}

Show the list of running queries.

@item @strong{--show-databases}
@anchor{@strong{--show-databases}}

@item @strong{--showdbs}
@anchor{@strong{--showdbs}}

@item @strong{--list-databases}
@anchor{@strong{--list-databases}}

@item @strong{--listdbs}
@anchor{@strong{--listdbs}}

List the databases (table spaces) in the database.

@item @strong{--show-tables}
@anchor{@strong{--show-tables}}

@item @strong{--list-tables}
@anchor{@strong{--list-tables}}

@item @strong{--table-list}
@anchor{@strong{--table-list}}

List the tables in the database.

@item @strong{--noheaders}
@anchor{@strong{--noheaders}}

@item @strong{--no-headers}
@anchor{@strong{--no-headers}}

@item @strong{-n}
@anchor{@strong{-n}}

Remove headers and footers and print only tuples. Bug in Oracle: it
still prints number of rows found.

@item @strong{-p} @emph{pass-through}
@anchor{@strong{-p} @emph{pass-through}}

The string following -p will be given to the database connection
program as arguments. Multiple -p's will be joined with
space. Example: pass '-U' and the user name to the program:

@emph{-p "-U scott"} can also be written @emph{-p -U -p scott}.

@item @strong{-r}
@anchor{@strong{-r}}

Try 3 times. Short version of @emph{--retries 3}.

@item @strong{--retries} @emph{ntimes}
@anchor{@strong{--retries} @emph{ntimes}}

Try @emph{ntimes} times. If the client program returns with an error,
retry the command. Default is @emph{--retries 1}.

@item @strong{--sep} @emph{string}
@anchor{@strong{--sep} @emph{string}}

@item @strong{-s} @emph{string}
@anchor{@strong{-s} @emph{string}}

Field separator. Use @emph{string} as separator between columns.

@item @strong{--skip-first-line}
@anchor{@strong{--skip-first-line}}

Do not use the first line of input (used by GNU @strong{sql} itself
when called with @strong{--shebang}).

@item @strong{--table-size}
@anchor{@strong{--table-size}}

@item @strong{--tablesize}
@anchor{@strong{--tablesize}}

Size of tables. Show the size of the tables in the database.

@item @strong{--version}
@anchor{@strong{--version}}

@item @strong{-V}
@anchor{@strong{-V}}

Print the version GNU @strong{sql} and exit.

@item @strong{--shebang}
@anchor{@strong{--shebang}}

@item @strong{-Y}
@anchor{@strong{-Y}}

GNU @strong{sql} can be called as a shebang (#!) command as the first line of a script. Like this:

@verbatim
  #!/usr/bin/sql -Y mysql:///

  SELECT * FROM foo;
@end verbatim

For this to work @strong{--shebang} or @strong{-Y} must be set as the first option.

@end table

@chapter DBURL
@anchor{DBURL}

A DBURL has the following syntax:
[sql:]vendor://
[[user][:password]@@][host][:port]/[database][?sqlquery]

To quote special characters use %-encoding specified in
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3986#section-2.1 (E.g. a password
containing '/' would contain '%2F').

Examples:
 mysql://scott:tiger@@my.example.com/mydb
 sql:oracle://scott:tiger@@ora.example.com/xe
 postgresql://scott:tiger@@pg.example.com/pgdb
 pg:///
 postgresqlssl://scott@@pg.example.com:3333/pgdb
 sql:sqlite2:////tmp/db.sqlite?SELECT * FROM foo;
 sqlite3:///../db.sqlite3?SELECT%20*%20FROM%20foo;

Currently supported vendors: MySQL (mysql), MySQL with SSL (mysqls,
mysqlssl), Oracle (oracle, ora), PostgreSQL (postgresql, pg, pgsql,
postgres), PostgreSQL with SSL (postgresqlssl, pgs, pgsqlssl,
postgresssl, pgssl, postgresqls, pgsqls, postgress), SQLite2 (sqlite,
sqlite2), SQLite3 (sqlite3).

Aliases must start with ':' and are read from 
/etc/sql/aliases and ~/.sql/aliases. The user's own
~/.sql/aliases should only be readable by the user.

Example of aliases:

@verbatim
 :myalias1 pg://scott:tiger@pg.example.com/pgdb
 :myalias2 ora://scott:tiger@ora.example.com/xe
 # Short form of mysql://`whoami`:nopassword@localhost:3306/`whoami`
 :myalias3 mysql:///
 # Short form of mysql://`whoami`:nopassword@localhost:33333/mydb
 :myalias4 mysql://:33333/mydb
 # Alias for an alias
 :m      :myalias4
 # the sortest alias possible
 :       sqlite2:////tmp/db.sqlite
 # Including an SQL query
 :query  sqlite:////tmp/db.sqlite?SELECT * FROM foo;
@end verbatim

@chapter EXAMPLES
@anchor{EXAMPLES}

@section Get an interactive prompt
@anchor{Get an interactive prompt}

The most basic use of GNU @strong{sql} is to get an interactive prompt:

@strong{sql sql:oracle://scott:tiger@@ora.example.com/xe}

If you have setup an alias you can do:

@strong{sql :myora}

@section Run a query
@anchor{Run a query}

To run a query directly from the command line:

@strong{sql :myalias "SELECT * FROM foo;"}

Oracle requires newlines after each statement. This can be done like
this:

@strong{sql :myora "SELECT * FROM foo;" "SELECT * FROM bar;"}

Or this:

@strong{sql :myora "SELECT * FROM foo;\nSELECT * FROM bar;"}

@section Copy a PostgreSQL database
@anchor{Copy a PostgreSQL database}

To copy a PostgreSQL database use pg_dump to generate the dump and GNU
@strong{sql} to import it:

@strong{pg_dump pg_database | sql pg://scott:tiger@@pg.example.com/pgdb}

@section Empty all tables in a MySQL database
@anchor{Empty all tables in a MySQL database}

Using GNU @strong{parallel} it is easy to empty all tables without dropping them:

@strong{sql -n mysql:/// 'show tables' | parallel sql mysql:/// DELETE FROM @{@};}

@section Drop all tables in a PostgreSQL database
@anchor{Drop all tables in a PostgreSQL database}

To drop all tables in a PostgreSQL database do:

@strong{sql -n pg:/// '\dt' | parallel --colsep '\|' -r sql pg:/// DROP TABLE @{2@};}

@section Run as a script
@anchor{Run as a script}

Instead of doing:

@strong{sql mysql:/// < sqlfile}

you can combine the sqlfile with the DBURL to make a
UNIX-script. Create a script called @emph{demosql}:

@strong{#!/usr/bin/sql -Y mysql:///}

@strong{SELECT * FROM foo;}

Then do:

@strong{chmod +x demosql; ./demosql}

@section Use --colsep to process multiple columns
@anchor{Use --colsep to process multiple columns}

Use GNU @strong{parallel}'s @strong{--colsep} to separate columns:

@strong{sql -s '\t' :myalias 'SELECT * FROM foo;' | parallel --colsep '\t' do_stuff @{4@} @{1@}}

@section Retry if the connection fails
@anchor{Retry if the connection fails}

If the access to the database fails occationally @strong{--retries} can help
make sure the query succeeds:

@strong{sql --retries 5 :myalias 'SELECT * FROM really_big_foo;'}

@section Get info about the running database system
@anchor{Get info about the running database system}

Show how big the database is:

@strong{sql --db-size :myalias}

List the tables:

@strong{sql --list-tables :myalias}

List the size of the tables:

@strong{sql --table-size :myalias}

List the running processes:

@strong{sql --show-processlist :myalias}

@chapter REPORTING BUGS
@anchor{REPORTING BUGS}

GNU @strong{sql} is part of GNU @strong{parallel}. Report bugs to <bug-parallel@@gnu.org>.

@chapter AUTHOR
@anchor{AUTHOR}

When using GNU @strong{sql} for a publication please cite:

O. Tange (2011): GNU SQL - A Command Line Tool for Accessing Different
Databases Using DBURLs, ;login: The USENIX Magazine, April 2011:29-32.

Copyright (C) 2008,2009,2010 Ole Tange http://ole.tange.dk

Copyright (C) 2010,2011 Ole Tange, http://ole.tange.dk and Free
Software Foundation, Inc.

@chapter LICENSE
@anchor{LICENSE}

Copyright (C) 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
at your option any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

@section Documentation license I
@anchor{Documentation license I}

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this documentation
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the file fdl.txt.

@section Documentation license II
@anchor{Documentation license II}

You are free:

@table @asis
@item @strong{to Share}
@anchor{@strong{to Share}}

to copy, distribute and transmit the work

@item @strong{to Remix}
@anchor{@strong{to Remix}}

to adapt the work

@end table

Under the following conditions:

@table @asis
@item @strong{Attribution}
@anchor{@strong{Attribution}}

You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or
licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or
your use of the work).

@item @strong{Share Alike}
@anchor{@strong{Share Alike}}

If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute
the resulting work only under the same, similar or a compatible
license.

@end table

With the understanding that:

@table @asis
@item @strong{Waiver}
@anchor{@strong{Waiver}}

Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from
the copyright holder.

@item @strong{Public Domain}
@anchor{@strong{Public Domain}}

Where the work or any of its elements is in the public domain under
applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.

@item @strong{Other Rights}
@anchor{@strong{Other Rights}}

In no way are any of the following rights affected by the license:

@itemize
@item Your fair dealing or fair use rights, or other applicable
copyright exceptions and limitations;

@item The author's moral rights;

@item Rights other persons may have either in the work itself or in
how the work is used, such as publicity or privacy rights.

@end itemize

@item @strong{Notice}
@anchor{@strong{Notice}}

For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the
license terms of this work.

@end table

A copy of the full license is included in the file as cc-by-sa.txt.

@chapter DEPENDENCIES
@anchor{DEPENDENCIES}

GNU @strong{sql} uses Perl. If @strong{mysql} is installed, MySQL dburls will
work. If @strong{psql} is installed, PostgreSQL dburls will work.  If
@strong{sqlite} is installed, SQLite2 dburls will work.  If @strong{sqlite3} is
installed, SQLite3 dburls will work. If @strong{sqlplus} is installed,
Oracle dburls will work. If @strong{rlwrap} is installed, GNU @strong{sql} will
have a command history for Oracle.

@chapter FILES
@anchor{FILES}

~/.sql/aliases - user's own aliases with DBURLs

/etc/sql/aliases - common aliases with DBURLs

@chapter SEE ALSO
@anchor{SEE ALSO}

@strong{mysql}(1), @strong{psql}(1), @strong{rlwrap}(1), @strong{sqlite}(1), @strong{sqlite3}(1), @strong{sqlplus}(1)

@bye
