---
name: "bsqlodbc"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "freetds"
version: "1.5.20-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/bsqlodbc"
---

# bsqlodbc(1)

batch SQL script processor using ODBC

## NAME

**bsqlodbc** – batch SQL script processor using ODBC

## SYNOPSIS

**bsqlodbc** \[**-hqv**\] \[**-U** *username*\] \[**-P** *password*\] \[**-S** *server*\] \[**-D** *database*\] \[**-i** *input\_file*\] \[**-o** *output\_file*\] \[**-e** *error\_file*\] \[**-t** *field\_term*\] \[**-V** *odbc\_version*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**bsqlodbc** is a utility program distributed with FreeTDS.

**bsqlodbc** is a non-interactive equivalent of the  ‘isql’ utility programs distributed by Sybase and Microsoft. Like them,  **bsqlodbc** uses the command  ‘go’ on a line by itself as a separator between batches. The last batch need not be followed by  ‘go’.

**bsqlodbc** makes use of the ODBC API provided by FreeTDS. This API is of course also available to application developers.

## OPTIONS

- **-U** *username*

  Database server login name.

- **-P** *password*

  Database server password.

- **-S** *server*

  Database server to which to connect.

- **-D** *database*

  Database to use.

- **-i** *input\_file*

  Name of script file, containing SQL.

- **-o** *output\_file*

  Name of output file, holding result data.

- **-e** *error\_file*

  Name of file for errors.

- **-t** *field\_term*

  Specifies the field terminator. Default is two spaces ( ‘  ’). Recognized escape sequences are tab ( ‘\\t’), carriage return ( ‘\\r’), newline ( ‘\\n’), and backslash ( ‘\\\\’).

- **-h**

  Print column headers with the data to the same file.

- **-q**

  Do not print column metadata, return status, or rowcount. Overrides **-h**.

- **-v**

  Verbose mode, for more information about the ODBC interaction. This also reports the result set metadata, including and return code. All verbose data are written to standard error (or  **-e**), so as not to interfere with the data stream.

- **-V** *odbc\_version*

  Specify ODBC version (2 or 3).

## NOTES

**bsqlodbc** is a filter; it reads from standard input, writes to standard output, and writes errors to standard error. The **-i**, **-o**, and **-e** options override these defaults.

## EXIT STATUS

**bsqlodbc** exits 0 on success, and \>0 if the server cannot process the query.

## HISTORY

**bsqlodbc** first appeared in FreeTDS 0.65.

## AUTHORS

The  **bsqlodbc** utility was written by  James K. Lowden ⟨jklowden@freetds.org⟩.