How do I run a SQL query in PowerShell?

Install the SqlServer module, then run Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance 'Server\Instance' -Database MyDb -Query 'SELECT ...'. Each row comes back as a DataRow object you can pipe to other cmdlets.

Is Invoke-Sqlcmd available in PowerShell 7?

Yes. The SqlServer module from the PowerShell Gallery supports PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1, but you install it separately in each shell.

Why does Invoke-Sqlcmd fail with a certificate error after updating the module?

Version 22 encrypts connections by default and checks the server certificate. Use a trusted certificate, or add -TrustServerCertificate for a server you trust. TDS 8.0 on Microsoft Learn explains the Strict, Mandatory and Optional options.

How do I pass a PowerShell variable to Invoke-Sqlcmd?

Put a $(Name) placeholder in a single-quoted query and pass -Variable @{ Name = $value }. The Invoke-Sqlcmd reference lists the array form too.

How do I see PRINT output from Invoke-Sqlcmd?

Add -Verbose. PRINT messages arrive as verbose messages, so they stay hidden without it.

Invoke-Sqlcmd: Run SQL Queries in PowerShell (Examples)

Your weekly sales numbers live in SQL Server, and you’re tired of opening SQL Server Management Studio just to copy them into a spreadsheet. PowerShell can ask the database directly and hand the rows back as objects.

Quick answer: use Invoke-Sqlcmd from the SqlServer module to run a SQL query in PowerShell. Give it the server with -ServerInstance, the database with -Database and the T-SQL text with -Query:

Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance '(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB' -Database SalesDemo `
    -Query 'SELECT OrderId, Customer, City, Amount FROM dbo.Orders'

Output:

OrderId Customer    City      Amount
------- --------    ----      ------
   1001 Maria Lopez Austin  1250.000
   1002 Tom Baker   Denver   450.000
   1003 Dana Reyes  Seattle  899.990
   1004 Alex Wilber Austin    75.500
   1005 Megan Bowen Boston  2310.400

In this tutorial, we’ll use Invoke-Sqlcmd to run SQL queries from PowerShell against a real database: installing the module, SELECT and UPDATE statements, .sql files, sqlcmd variables, CSV exports, error handling, and the encryption change in module version 22.

This Tutorial Covers:

What You Need Before You Start

You need PowerShell 7 or Windows PowerShell 5.1, the SqlServer module from the PowerShell Gallery, and a SQL Server you can sign in to with your Windows account. Not sure which instances exist on your network? You can find SQL Server instances with PowerShell first.

For this guide we used SQL Server 2019 Express LocalDB, the free developer edition that ships with Visual Studio. Its instance name is (localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB, and every command below works the same against a full SQL Server.

We built a demo database called SalesDemo with one table, dbo.Orders, holding five orders from Austin, Denver, Seattle and Boston. Amounts are in USD, and all dates are in October 2026.

Step 1: Install the SqlServer Module

Invoke-Sqlcmd isn’t built into PowerShell. Microsoft ships it in the SqlServer module, and SQL Server Management Studio doesn’t install it for you. Run this once in each shell you use:

Install-Module -Name SqlServer -Scope CurrentUser

-Scope CurrentUser installs it for your account only, so you don’t need an elevated window. If Install-Module itself fails, see how to fix Install-Module is not recognized.

Then confirm the version, because the encryption behavior changed in version 22:

"Commands in the module: $((Get-Command -Module SqlServer).Count)"
Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name SqlServer | Select-Object -Property Name, Version

Output in PowerShell 7:

Commands in the module: 97

Name      Version
----      -------
SqlServer 22.4.5.1

Both shells loaded SqlServer 22.4.5.1, but Windows PowerShell 5.1 listed 100 commands and PowerShell 7 only 97. The three extra ones are availability group tests (Test-SqlAvailabilityGroup and friends) that the module exposes only in 5.1.

Invoke-Sqlcmd itself is in both. You can also list every installed PowerShell module to spot an old SQLPS copy.