Where can I obtain the SQLpackage command-line utility?

The following StackOverflow answer gives full details of the various ways you can obtain the latest version of SqlPackage, which works with SQL Server 2005-2014, and where to find it once it's installed:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/23376593/216440

To quote:

Yes, there is a new version supporting SQL Server 2005-2014 available and it installs into a different location than the previous (SQL Server 2012 and lower) version. In fact, you'll have different install locations depending on if you just use SSDT or if you install it as part of SSMS or the standalone installer.

  • SSDT installs the Dac DLLs inside Visual Studio in the latest releases. This is to avoid side by side issues (Visual Studio 2012 vs 2013 vs SSMS) that required all to be updated to use the latest code.

    • If you have updated to the latest SSDT, you'll find SqlPackage.exe and the related DLLs in the VS Install Directory\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\SQLDB\DAC\120. For VS2013 the VS install directory is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0.
  • SSMS for SQL Server 2014 and the standalone Dac Framework MSI both install to the system-wide location. This is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\120\Dac\bin.


Standalone downloads are available from Microsoft.

It's also included in the "SQL Server Data Tools" from Microsoft.

SQL Server Data Tools proves command-line tools that enable a number of project-oriented database development scenarios.

More info from MS here.

You can download the "SQL Server Data Tools" from MS here.


Be warned, this utility is SQL server version specific.

When (if) this is installed it will be found in the 'DAC\bin' subfolder of your SQL server install. So for SQL Server 2012 this will be in:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\DAC\bin

SQL Server 2012 has internal version 11.0 and SQL Server 2014 has internal version 12.0. So for SQL Server 2014 you find SqlPackage here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\120\DAC\bin