Installing sqlcmd on Debian Trixie23.04.26

### Installing `sqlcmd` on Debian Trixie

This guide will walk you through installing the `sqlcmd` utility on Debian Trixie using Microsoft's official APT repository.

**Prerequisites:**

*   A Debian Trixie system.
*   `sudo` privileges.
*   `curl`, `wget`, and `apt` are installed (they are usually by default).

**Steps:**

1.  **Add the Microsoft GPG Key:**
    This step ensures that your system trusts packages signed by Microsoft.

```bash
    curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.asc
    ```

*   `curl ...`: Downloads the Microsoft GPG key.
    *   `| sudo tee ...`: Pipes the key to `tee`, which writes it to the specified file in the `trusted.gpg.d` directory. This is the modern and recommended way to manage trusted keys.

2.  **Add the Microsoft SQL Server Repository:**
    This command downloads the repository configuration file for Ubuntu 20.04 (which is often compatible with newer Debian versions like Trixie) and saves it as a new APT source.

```bash
    sudo wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/20.04/prod.list | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list
    ```

*   `sudo wget -qO- ...`: Downloads the repository list file content from Microsoft.
    *   `| sudo tee ...`: Pipes the content to `tee`, saving it as `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list`.

**Note for Debian Trixie:** While the repository is for Ubuntu 20.04, it often works fine for Debian Trixie, as Debian tends to be more stable and less frequently breaking than Ubuntu releases. If you encounter issues later, you might need to find a specific Debian repository or adjust the `prod.list` contents.

3.  **Update the APT Package Index:**
    After adding a new repository, you need to refresh your system's package list so it knows about the new packages available.

```bash
    sudo apt-get update
    ```

4.  **Install `sqlcmd` and related tools:**
    Now, you can install the `mssql-tools` package, which includes `sqlcmd` and `bcp`.

```bash
    sudo apt-get install mssql-tools unixodbc-dev
    ```

*   `mssql-tools`: This package provides `sqlcmd` and `bcp`.
    *   `unixodbc-dev`: This is a dependency often required for `mssql-tools` on Linux.
    *   **Accept EULA:** You might be prompted to accept the End-User Licensing Agreement.

5.  **Add `sqlcmd` to your PATH (for convenience):**
    The `sqlcmd` executable is usually installed in `/opt/mssql-tools/bin/`. To run it without specifying the full path, add this directory to your system's PATH environment variable.

```bash
    echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
    source ~/.bashrc
    ```

*   `echo ... >> ~/.bashrc`: Appends the export command to your `.bashrc` file, so it's set every time you open a new terminal.
    *   `source ~/.bashrc`: Applies the changes to your current terminal session immediately.

**Verification:**

You can verify the installation by running:

```bash
sqlcmd -?
```

This should display the help options for `sqlcmd`, confirming it's installed and in your PATH.

---

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/sqlcmd/sqlcmd-download-install?view=sql-server-ver17&tabs=linux

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Installing sqlcmd on Debian Trixie23.04.26

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