How to set the sqlcmd.exe exit code?

Question

The script needs to test to see if a backup table already exists and stop if it does. This is to prevent overwriting a backup already created.

The following will stop further script execution (but not interpretation output). However, it does not set the exit code value. It needs to set the exit code value in order to support automation.

This needs to work even if the user is not sysadmin. Therefore, RAISEERROR() with a severity code > 18 and WITH LOG does not improve the situation.

The script needs to work in both sqlcmd.exe and SSMS on SQL Server as early as 2012.

IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM BUDB.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
    WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = 'dbo' AND TABLE_NAME = 'TABLE_A')
BEGIN
    PRINT 'ERROR: Table BUDB.dbo.TABLE_A already exists.'
    RAISERROR('ERROR: Will not create existing backup table.', 18, -1);
    SET NOEXEC ON;
END

IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM BUDB.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
    WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = 'dbo' AND TABLE_NAME = 'TABLE_B')
BEGIN
    PRINT 'ERROR: Table BUDB.dbo.TABLE_B already exists.'
    RAISERROR('ERROR: Will not create existing backup table.', 18, -1);
    SET NOEXEC ON;
END

Answer 1

First, I'd rewrite the script to use the XACT_ABORT_ON and TRY..CATCH construct instead of the SET NO EXEC ON.

As per this recommendation by Erland Sommarskog

This is my version of the script used for testing:

SET XACT_ABORT ON

BEGIN TRY
    DECLARE @DbName sysname = DB_NAME()

    IF (@DbName LIKE 'm%')
    BEGIN 
       RAISERROR('ERROR: DbName starts with m', 16, -1); 
    END

    SELECT @@VERSION /* test if script continues */
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
    ;THROW /* Needed to rethrow the error*/
END CATCH

As for the SQLCMD there are two parameters:

• -b = terminate batch job if there is an error
• -V = error_severity_level

by default only errors with severity greater than 10, but you can override that with the -V parameter.

Here's a link to documentation

The sqlcmd execution could then look like this

sqlcmd -S localhost -d master -i "FullPath.sql" -b; $LASTEXITCODE

Answer 2

Did you try the -b switch of sqlcmd ? See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/sqlcmd-utility?view=sql-server-ver16#command-line-options