Import data from CSV to SQL Server via command line on MacOS

Want to import data from CSV file to SQL Server via Command Line Interface (CLI) on MacOS?

Using mssql-cmd, a Command Line Interface (CLI) client for SQL Server, you can import data from CSV file to SQL Server easily and fast. Direct Interaction or Scripting and Automation.

• No need to install SQL Server client library.
• Convenient to deploy to cloud. No need to run installation file, just uncompress and run, immediately.
• Commands are entered into a terminal or command prompt, accessed from local or remote (like SSH).
• Support Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

Download mssql-cmd Macos version
mssql-cmd.darwin-amd64.zip
mssql-cmd.darwin-arm64.zip

Import data from CSV file to SQL Server via command line on MacOS

1. In interactive mode:

mssql-cmd> load loadtype=replace
      > table=media_messages 
      > datafile=/data/media_messages.csv 
      > delimiter=, 
      > quote=" 
      > header=y;

2. In batch mode:

mssql-cmd dsn="pan:withdata@192.168.0.102/test" task=load loadtype=replace table=media_messages datafile=/data/media_messages.csv delimiter=, quote=" header=y quit=y

“loadtype=replace” will delete all data in table before inserting.

See parameters detail.

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More about mssql-cmd – Command Line Interface (CLI) tool for SQL Server

CSV → SQL Server reference

Type mapping

Value kind	in CSV	in SQL Server
Int	1234	int
Bigint	9007199254740993	bigint
Decimal	1234.56	decimal(p,s)
Float	1.234e+10	float
Text	quoted only when it contains a comma or a quote	nvarchar(n)
Long text	must be quoted; line breaks inside force multi-line records	nvarchar(max)
Date	2026-09-18	date
Datetime	2026-09-18 14:30:00	datetime2
Binary	not representable - base64 or hex string	varbinary(max)
Boolean	TRUE / FALSE, or 1 / 0 depending on the writer	bit
JSON	the whole JSON value quoted, with internal quotes doubled	nvarchar(max)

Dialect differences

CSV is a file format and SQL Server is a database server, so the target has to be told the types the file never carried - the rows below are where the two sides diverge.

Property	in CSV	in SQL Server
port	—	1433
identifiers	Double quotes; a literal quote is doubled ("" )	[square brackets]
row limit	—	SELECT TOP n
dates	Conventional text: 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-18 14:30:00	datetime, datetime2, date, time
long text	—	nvarchar(max)
binary	Not supported	varbinary(max)
separator	Comma ","	—
encoding	No declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM	—
typing	None - every field is text	—
shape	Flat table, optional header row	Tables of rows and columns
ceiling	No formal limit; row count bounded by memory	—

Command line

Side	Command
SQL Server	bcp
SQL Server (load)	bcp, or BULK INSERT

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