passing path to SqlCmd within powershell script

I'm trying to write a powershell script which will execute sqlcmd.exe to run a sql script. The script contains a SQLCMD variable which I want to pass in on the command line via sqlcmd's -v switch. The problem is that powershell is doing something weird when I pass a path as the value of one of my variables which in turn causes the SQL script to fail.

For example I'm calling:

$path = 'C:\path'
sqlcmd -SMySQLServerInstance -i 'MySqlScript.sql' -v MyVariablePath=$path

when run I receive a error which says:

Sqlcmd: ':\path': Invalid argument.

No amount of double or single quotes that I have tried around `$path` or `MyVariablePath=$path`
solves the issue.

Can somebody provide a simple canonical example of how this needs to be done?

You will find several options to this issue on the Workarounds tab on [this issue filed on the Microsoft connect site][1]. While you're there please vote it up.


[1]:

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finally worked it out. for the next sucker to try this here is the solution

powershell script looks like

$myPath = "`"C:\Path`""
sqlcmd.exe -SmySQLInstance -i./test.sql -v myvar=$myPath

my test.sql file can then use the variable like this

PRINT "$(myvar)"

the key here is understanding how powershell does escape characters. More info on that [here][1]


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Had the same issue, found the solution accidentally, still don't understand why it works :) (i'm not a powershell pro though):

sqlcmd -d ... -s ... -v Var1Name=("""$PowershellVar1""") Var2Name=("""$PowershellVar2""")

Variables `$PowershellVar1` and `$PowershellVar2` have string type in my PS script and can contain quotes, spaces etc

I was recently playing around with this problem. In my case, I had variables with dots and spaces inside them. I will list all combinations I tried to make it run.


### Test SQL file test.sql ###

declare @testvar varchar(30);
set @testvar = '$(testvar)';
print @testvar;

### Set of my testing variables: ###

$varA = 'Abc1.3,Abc4.3' # contains only dots
$varB = 'A bc1.3,Ab c4.3' # contains dots and spaces
$varC = 'xx x.yy,y,.1.2.,3 , y' # contains dots and multiple spaces

### Testing of **sqlcmd** command ###

sqlcmd -v testvar=`"$var`" -i test.sql
sqlcmd -v testvar=($var) -i test.sql
sqlcmd -v testvar=("""$var""") -i test.sql # Solution by Andrei Shakh

## a) Test #1 ##
First I found out that my powershell script is returning error on variable that contain spaces

sqlcmd -v testvar=`"$varA`" -i test.sql
Abc1.3,Abc4.3

sqlcmd -v testvar=`"$varB`" -i test.sql
sqlcmd : Sqlcmd: 'testvar="A bc1.3,Ab c4.3""': Invalid argument. Enter '-?' for help. At line:2 char:1
## b) Test #2 ##
Finally found solution to replace variable by parenthesis instead of double-quotes, BUT!

sqlcmd -v testvar=($varA) -i test.sql
sqlcmd : Sqlcmd: ',Abc4.3': Invalid argument. Enter '-?' for help. At line:1 char:1

sqlcmd -v testvar=($varB) -i test.sql
A bc1.3,Ab c4.3

Interestingly enough, I've found out that this solution isn't working with with dots in my variables.

## c) Test #3 ##
I made a script to match space in variable and in that case use parenthesis, which works both ways.

If ($var -match " ") # or ($var -like "* *")
{
sqlcmd -v testvar=($var) -i test.sql
}
Else
{
sqlcmd -v testvar=`"$var`" -i test.sql
}


# d) Final Solution #


So far best solution I've found was answer by [Andrei Shakh](

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) here, which works with everything without using IF/ELSE statemens to check whether there is space in a string or not.

sqlcmd -v testvar=("""$varA""") -i test.sql
Abc1.3,Abc4.3

sqlcmd -v testvar=("""$varB""") -i test.sql
A bc1.3,Ab c4.3

sqlcmd -v testvar=("""$varC""") -i test.sql
xx x.yy,y,.1.2.,3 , y