INF: ISQL Is Faster When Output Is Sent to Disk File

ID: Q73212

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft SQL Server version 4.2x

SUMMARY

Performing large queries or using the DBCC CHECKALLOC or DBCC CHECKDB commands can generate a great deal of output. When using ISQL, the execution speed of these queries increases significantly if you send the output from ISQL to a hard disk file.

MORE INFORMATION

For example, execute SELECT * FROM MASTER..SYSMESSAGES from ISQL. Sending the output to the screen takes two minutes and thirty seconds. Sending the output to a hard disk file takes only fifteen seconds.

To direct the output to a file, run ISQL with the following command line:

ISQL /S<server> /U<login> /P<password> /i<input_file> /o<output_file>

where <input_file> is an ASCII text file that contains the TRANSACT-SQL commands and <output_file> is the disk file that stores the results. Note that the command is case-sensitive and there are no spaces between the switches and the parameters. For example:

ISQL /Sgizmo /Usa /P /isqlin.txt /osqlout.txt


Keywords          : kbtool SSrvISQL 
Version           : 4.2 | 4.2
Platform          : MS-DOS OS/2 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: March 11, 1999