1/19/24, 10:10 PM Import a large sql dump file to a MySQL database from command line - cmanios

Import a large sql dump file to a MySQL

database from command line
2 minute read

Today I had to import a very large SQL dump file (6 Gb) to a

MySQL database using windows command line. If you are using
linux it is the same. The process is the following:

1. Open a command prompt (or shell in Linux) with

administrative privilleges
2. If you are in Windows set character set to unicode. Linux is
using UTF-8 by default.
chcp 65001

3. Connect to a mysql instance using command line

$PATH_TO_MYSQL\mysql.exe -h 192.168.1.1 --port=3306 -u root -p

if you are in localhost you do not need host and port

$PATH_TO_MYSQL\mysql.exe -u root -p

4. You are now in mysql shell. Set network buffer length to a

large byte number. The default value may throw errors for
such large data files
set global net_buffer_length=1000000;

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1/19/24, 10:10 PM Import a large sql dump file to a MySQL database from command line - cmanios

5. Set maximum allowed packet size to a large byte

number.The default value may throw errors for such large
data files.
set global max_allowed_packet=1000000000;

6. Disable foreign key checking to avoid delays,errors and

unwanted behaviour
SET foreign_key_checks = 0;
SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 0;
SET AUTOCOMMIT = 0;

7. Import your sql dump file

source C:\bob_db\dbdump150113.sql

You are done! Remember to enable foreign key checks

when procedure is complete!

SET foreign_key_checks = 1;
SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 1;
SET AUTOCOMMIT = 1;

If you are in Linux you can create a Bash script which will do the
dirty job and write to stdout start and end time of import:

#!/bin/sh

# store start date to a variable

imeron=`date`

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1/19/24, 10:10 PM Import a large sql dump file to a MySQL database from command line - cmanios

echo "Import started: OK"

dumpfile="/home/bob/bobiras.sql"

ddl="set names utf8; "

ddl="$ddl set global net_buffer_length=1000000;"
ddl="$ddl set global max_allowed_packet=1000000000; "
ddl="$ddl SET foreign_key_checks = 0; "
ddl="$ddl SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 0; "
ddl="$ddl SET AUTOCOMMIT = 0; "
# if your dump file does not create a database, select one
ddl="$ddl USE jetdb; "
ddl="$ddl source $dumpfile; "
ddl="$ddl SET foreign_key_checks = 1; "
ddl="$ddl SET UNIQUE_CHECKS = 1; "
ddl="$ddl SET AUTOCOMMIT = 1; "
ddl="$ddl COMMIT ; "

echo "Import started: OK"

time mysql -h 127.0.0.1 -u root -proot -e "$ddl"

# store end date to a variable

imeron2=`date`

echo "Start import:$imeron"

echo "End import:$imeron2"

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