Remotely running SQL from PowerShell

Question

Hi
I work for a Software House where checking files versions, running SQL to check tables is becoming run-of-the mill :)
I'm very new to PowerShell so far and have just been playing about to find that I can remotely check file-versions ok. Now onto the other side of the coin....running SQL to check tables is the next thing I need to learn.
Just for a heads-up. Most of the servers I connect to are running MS SQL Server 2003 (unfortanately) which is why I want to remotely check the servers without connecting in via Remote Desktop Session. With MS Server 2003, if I use a Remote Desktop
Session, I've found that I would have to download PowerShell (v1) and then have to configure it to allow it to run my .ps1 scripts which would also become cumbersome.
Can anyone give me a start and say how to remotely connect to and SQL database and then run a simple SELECT statement from PowerShell please. I can then build my powershell scripts up from there.
Kind Regards
Matt

Answer 1

Hi
I've tried this script but get the error below if anyone can help.
# Get SQL rows if they exist
$SqlConnection = New-Object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection
$SqlConnection.ConnectionString = "Server=\\10.1.2.3;Database=THEHOUSE;Integrated Security=True;User Id=Joe123;Password=password123"
$SqlConnection.Open()
$SqlCmd = New-Object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand
$SqlCmd.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM TABLEX WHERE TRANS_TYPE='ACG'"
$SqlCmd.Connection = $SqlConnection
$dbname = $SqlCmd.ExecuteScalar()
$SqlConnection.Close()
Write-output "Database is " $dbname
The error I get is:
Exception calling "Open" with "0" argument(s): "A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while
establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the
instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL
Network Interfaces, error: 25 - Connection string is not valid)"
At C:\PS1scripts\Get SQL table data.ps1:5 char:1
+ $SqlConnection.Open()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : SqlException
Exception calling "ExecuteScalar" with "0" argument(s): "ExecuteScalar requires an open and available
Connection. The connection's current state is closed."
At C:\PS1scripts\Get SQL table data.ps1:9 char:1
+ $dbname = $SqlCmd.ExecuteScalar()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidOperationException