How to execute SQL commands from a file in PostgreSQL

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In my case I had a .sql file with hundreds of insert statements and I wanted to run all of them, I was left with two options namely manually entering every command via copy and paste or executing the file. I went for the second option and it worked. I used Postgres 8.4 on the command line on a Ubuntu machine.

Answer:

Follow these steps

  • Connect to the relevant database eg.
    sudo -u postgres psql MYDB
  • Then run
    \i MYFILEWITHCOMMANDS.sql

    \i means execute commands from file

  • All commands will be executed.

About the author

Ian Carnaghan

I am a software developer and online educator who likes to keep up with all the latest in technology. I also manage cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, DevOps processes, security, and continuous integration and deployment.

About Author

Ian Carnaghan

I am a software developer and online educator who likes to keep up with all the latest in technology. I also manage cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, DevOps processes, security, and continuous integration and deployment.

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