Numbered SQL fragments, one script

Setting up a database from source control: 01-schema.sql, 02-tables.sql, 03-indexes.sql, 09-seed.sql. To hand it to a colleague, or to run it on a fresh server, the fragments have to become one script - in the right order.

TextMerger » Use cases » Merge SQL scripts

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How to merge SQL script fragments into one

  1. Open TextMerger and click New Task.
  2. Add the fragments - or Add Folder... on the directory that holds them.
  3. Drag the list until the order is the order the database has to be built in. This is the step that matters: schema before tables, tables before indexes, data last.
  4. Add a separator between files if the target server wants one (a blank line, or a GO line for SQL Server batches).
  5. Click Merge and save the result as a single .sql file.

Ordered SQL fragments merged into one script in TextMerger

Why the order - and the session - matters

File names are a poor substitute for order. 10- sorts before 2- if the prefixes are not padded, and a fragment added later lands at the end alphabetically rather than where it belongs. Dragging the list puts the files where they have to run, and saving the list as a session means the next release of the database merges in exactly the same order, without redoing it.

What it does not do

It concatenates and nothing more: it does not parse SQL, does not check syntax, and does not know that a batch separator is needed for a particular database. A comment opened in one fragment and closed in another is still open where the files meet - so keep fragments self-contained. What it does guarantee is that line breaks, encoding and layout come through unchanged, so the merged script is the fragments, not a rewritten version of them.

Why not an online merger

Schema and seed data are rarely something to upload to a stranger's server. TextMerger is a desktop application for Windows, Linux and macOS: the files never leave your computer, and there is no size limit on the merge.

Related tools

Going the other way - cutting a big .sql dump into separate files per table: SQLDumpSplitter. Loading data into the database after the schema is in place: FileToDB. Full reference: merging text files.