Import

Imports a previously created db-dump.tar.gz archive into a target database.

Examples

# Basic import into local dev instance
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev

# Custom server/auth and force recreate
sqlpack import \
  --archive db-dump.tar.gz \
  --database MyAppDev \
  --server "localhost,1499" \
  --username sa \
  --password MyPassword \
  --force

Common Scenarios

# Use trusted connection on default port
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev --server "corp-sql01,1433"

# Force recreate if DB exists
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev --force

# Import schema only (skip data)
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev --skip-data

# Trust self-signed certificates
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev \
  --server "staging.company.net,1433" --trust-server-certificate

# Customize the working directory used during extraction
sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev --work-dir ./tmp/import-work

# Increase logging for troubleshooting
BASH_LOG=trace sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev

Logging

Imports are quiet at the default error level. Choose a level based on your context:

# Show progress and key steps during import
BASH_LOG=info sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev

# Stream every sqlcmd/bcp invocation and output (verbose troubleshooting)
BASH_LOG=trace sqlpack import --archive db-dump.tar.gz --database MyAppDev

Note: info prints many success/progress lines and can bury errors in long outputs. For CI/long runs, prefer error. At info/debug, detailed tool output is captured to log files and summarized on failure; use trace for full console context or inspect the logs in ./logs/ (and per-table logs in the working directory during data import).

After Import

# Connect with sqlcmd (trusted connection shown)
sqlcmd -S "localhost,1499" -d MyAppDev -Q "SELECT TOP 5 name FROM sys.tables"

# Connect with SQL auth
sqlcmd -S "localhost,1499" -U sa -P "YourPassword123" -d MyAppDev -Q "SELECT 1"

Logs are written under ./logs/. For schema imports, see ./logs/import_<filename>.log. The sqlcmd wrapper log is ./logs/import-sqlcmd.log.

Notes

• Working directory: ./db-import-work
• Logs written to: ./logs/
• Use --skip-data to import schema only

Tip: Ensure prerequisites are installed. If not, run sqlpack install-tools --execute and verify with sqlpack doctor.