---
title: "SQL Server PowerShell | Microsoft Docs"
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ms.date: "08/04/2016"
ms.prod: sql
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ms.technology: scripting
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---
# SQL Server PowerShell
[!INCLUDE[appliesto-ss-asdb-asdw-pdw-md](../includes/appliesto-ss-asdb-asdw-pdw-md.md)]

**[Install SQL Server PowerShell](download-sql-server-ps-module.md)**

> [!NOTE]
> There are two SQL Server PowerShell modules; **SqlServer** and **SQLPS**. The **SQLPS** module is included with the SQL Server installation (for backwards compatibility), but is no longer being updated. The most up-to-date PowerShell module is the **SqlServer** module. The **SqlServer** module contains updated versions of the cmdlets in **SQLPS**, and also includes new cmdlets to support the latest SQL features.  
> Previous versions of the **SqlServer** module *were* included with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), but only with the 16.x versions of SSMS. To use PowerShell with SSMS 17.0 and later, the **SqlServer** module must be installed from the PowerShell Gallery.
> To install the **SqlServer** module, see [Install SQL Server PowerShell](download-sql-server-ps-module.md).

**Why did the module change from SQLPS to SqlServer?**

To ship SQL PowerShell updates, we had to change the identity of the SQL PowerShell module, as well as the wrapper known as *SQLPS.exe*. Because of this change, there are now two SQL PowerShell modules, the **SqlServer** module, and the **SQLPS** module.  

**Update your PowerShell scripts if they import the SQLPS module.**

If you have any PowerShell scripts that run `Import-Module -Name SQLPS`, and you want to take advantage of the new provider functionality and new cmdlets, you must change them to `Import-Module -Name SqlServer`. The new module is installed to `%ProgramFiles%\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SqlServer` folder. Therefore, you do not have to update the $env:PSModulePath variable. If you have scripts that use a third-party or community version of a module named **SqlServer**, use of the Prefix parameter to avoid name collisions. There is no change to the module used by SQL Server Agent. 

  
## SQL Server PowerShell Components  
The **SqlServer** module loads two Windows PowerShell snap-ins:  
  
-   A [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] provider, which enables a simple navigation mechanism similar to file system paths. You can build paths similar to file system paths, where the drive is associated with a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] management object model, and the nodes are based on the object model classes. You can then use familiar commands such as **cd** and **dir** to navigate the paths similar to the way you navigate folders in a command prompt window. You can use other commands, such as **ren** or **del**, to perform actions on the nodes in the path.  
  
-   A set of cmdlets that support actions such as running a **sqlcmd** script containing [!INCLUDE[tsql](../includes/tsql-md.md)] or XQuery statements.  
  
  
## SQL Server Versions  
SQL PowerShell cmdlets can be used to manage instances of Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, and all [supported SQL Server products](https://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/1044).  


## SQL Server identifiers that contain characters not supported in PowerShell paths  
 
The **Encode-Sqlname** and **Decode-Sqlname** cmdlets help you specify SQL Server identifiers that contain characters not supported in PowerShell paths. For more information, see [SQL Server Identifiers in PowerShell](sql-server-identifiers-in-powershell.md).  
  
Use the **Convert-UrnToPath** cmdlet to convert a Unique Resource Name for a [!INCLUDE[ssDE](../includes/ssde-md.md)] object to a path for the SQL Server PowerShell provider. For more information, see [Convert URNs to SQL Server Provider Paths](https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/module/sqlserver/Convert-UrnToPath).  
  
## Query Expressions and Unique Resource Names  

Query expressions are strings that use syntax similar to XPath to specify a set of criteria that enumerate one or more objects in an object model hierarchy. A Unique Resource Name (URN) is a specific type of query expression string that uniquely identifies a single object. For more information, see [Query Expressions and Uniform Resource Names](query-expressions-and-uniform-resource-names.md).       


## Cmdlet reference
* [SqlServer cmdlets](https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/module/sqlserver)
* [SQLPS cmdlets](https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/module/sqlps)