Question: I have a SQL script I need to run on about 20 different databases.

I basically just need to be able to run some SQL, then have it load and run a file from the disk, do more SQL, run that same script again, etc.

I was hoping to make a SQL script that would basically look something like this:

```
use database1
go
exec c:\release.sql
go

use database2
go
exec c:\release.sql
go

use database3
go
exec c:\release.sql
go

```

--etc....

I've looked online a bunch and found a way to do something similar in a batch file with sqlcmd but it isn't working and I don't see how to switch databases that way, either.

Thanks a ton!

Ben

Answer: 
You can switch management studio to sqlcmd mode (query menu) and then run a script with `:r script.sql` 

To do this on a dynamically generated list of databases you have to do some sqlcmd trickery:

* set output to file
* generate the command to execute
* set output to stdout
* execute the file
* delete the temp file

I assume in this example that the file script.sql exists in `c:\temp`. Note that the `GO` statements are important in the script or the sqlcmd parser will get confused.

```
:OUT $(TEMP)\db.sql
declare @script nvarchar(max)
select @script = isnull(@script, '') 
               + 'use ' + name + char(13) + char(10) 
               + ':r c:\temp\script.sql' + char(13) + char(10) 
  from sys.databases
 where name like N'%[_]db'
print @script

GO

:OUT stdout
:r $(TEMP)\db.sql

GO

!!del $(TEMP)\db.sql /s /q

```
You don't need to do this in SSMS. You just need to create a `CMD` script.

**IF** you have a static set of databases to run on, then use the following:

```
@ECHO OFF

SET MyServer="(local)"
SET MyScript="c:\release.sql"

SQLCMD -S %MyServer% -E -i %MyScript% -d database1
SQLCMD -S %MyServer% -E -i %MyScript% -d database2
...
SQLCMD -S %MyServer% -E -i %MyScript% -d database20

```

**IF** you have a dynamic set of databases that can be queried for, then use the following:

```
@ECHO OFF

SET MyServer="(local)"
SET MyScript="c:\release.sql"
SET MyQuery="SET NOCOUNT ON; SELECT [Name] FROM [sys].[databases] sd WHERE sd.[name] LIKE N'%%[_]db' ORDER BY sd.[name];"

FOR /F %%B IN ('SQLCMD -h -1 -S %MyServer% -E -Q %MyQuery%') DO (
    REM remove the "echo" from the next line to run the scripts
    echo SQLCMD -S %MyServer% -E -i %MyScript% -d %%B -o results-%%B.txt
)

```

Using the `%%B` in the output filename will give you a different output file per database, as in:

> 
> results-database1\_db.txt  
> 
>  results-database2\_db.txt  
> 
>  ...
> 
> 
> 

---

Other notes:

* Use `(local)` instead of `localhost` when connecting to the local, default instance as it uses shared memory while `localhost` forces a TCP connection.
* If you are searching for an underscore in a `LIKE` statement, enclose it in square brackets else it is a single-character wild card (which still technically works sometimes, but could also match other characters): `[_]`