db.execute(1)

📦
version 8.4.2 · 9 versions
, in fedora 44

✨ db.execute ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to db.execute(1) from the GRASS GIS User's Manual 💖 this is the girl who runs your SQL for you and doesn't even ask for a thank you.

KEYWORDS: database, attribute table, SQL 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

db.execute — she executes any SQL statement. literally any. periodt.

heads up babes: for SELECT statements you want db.select instead, not her 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

db.execute
db.execute --help
db.execute [-i]  [sql=sql_query]   [input=name]   [driver=name]
[database=name]   [schema=name]   [--help]  [--verbose]  [--quiet]
[--ui]

✨ Flags ✨

  • -i — ignore SQL errors and keep going like nothing happened 😌
  • --help — prints the usage summary, the lil recap
  • --verbose — verbose module output, she's chatty now
  • --quiet — quiet module output, she's giving mysterious
  • --ui — force launching the GUI dialog, main character GUI energy 👑

✨ Parameters ✨

  • sql=sql_query — the SQL statement itself
    • Example: update rybniky set kapri = 'hodne' where kapri = 'malo'
  • input=name — name of the file containing your SQL statement(s)
    • use '-' for standard input 🫶
  • driver=name — name of the database driver
    • Options: dbf, mesql, mysql, odbc, ogr, pg, sqlite
    • Default: sqlite
  • database=name — name of the database
    • Default: $GISDBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/sqlite/sqlite.db
  • schema=name — database schema
    • > do not use this option if schemas aren't supported by your driver / database server, no cap

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

db.execute allows the user to execute SQL statements. that's it, that's the whole vibe. iconic behaviour, honestly.

🌈 NOTES 🌈

db.execute only executes SQL statements and does not return any data. if you need data coming back to you, that's a db.select moment bestie, don't get it twisted 😭

if your parameters for the database connection are already set with db.connect, they get taken as default values and you don't have to re-specify them every single time. she remembers. she's thoughtful like that. 💖

if you have a large number of SQL commands to process, it is much faster to place all the SQL statements into a text file and use the input file parameter than it is to process each statement individually in a loop. fr fr, the loop is not the move here. and if multiple instruction lines are given, each SQL line must end with a semicolon. every single one. no skipping. 🎀

please see the individual GRASS SQL interface for how to create a new database. iykyk.

🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

Create a new table with columns 'cat' and 'soiltype':

db.execute sql="CREATE TABLE soils (cat integer, soiltype varchar(10))"

Create a new table using a file with SQL statements:

db.execute driver=odbc database=grassdb input=file.sql

Insert new row into attribute table:

db.execute sql="INSERT INTO mysites (id,name,east,north) values (30,'Ala',1657340,5072301)"

Update attribute entries to new value based on SQL rule:

db.execute sql="UPDATE roads SET travelcost=5 WHERE cat=1"

Update attribute entries to new value based on SQL rule:

db.execute sql="UPDATE dourokukan SET testc=50 WHERE testc is NULL"

Delete selected rows from attribute table:

db.execute sql="DELETE FROM gsod_stationlist WHERE latitude < -91"

Add new column to attribute table:

db.execute sql="ALTER TABLE roads ADD COLUMN length double"

Column type conversion — update new column from existing column (all drivers except for DBF):

# 'z_value' is varchar and 'z' is double precision:
echo "UPDATE geodetic_pts SET z = CAST(z_value AS numeric)" | db.execute input=-

Drop column from attribute table:

db.execute sql="ALTER TABLE roads DROP COLUMN length"

Drop table (not supported by all drivers):

db.execute sql="DROP TABLE fmacopy"

Update attribute with multiple SQL instructions in file (e.g., file.sql, instruction line must end with a semicolon):

UPDATE roads SET travelcost=5 WHERE cat=1;
UPDATE roads SET travelcost=2 WHERE cat=2;
db.execute input=file.sql

Join table 'myroads' to table 'extratab' based on common 'cat' column values (not supported by DBF driver):

db.execute sql="UPDATE extratab SET names=(SELECT label FROM myroads WHERE extratab.cat=myroads.cat)"

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

db.columns, db.describe, db.drivers, db.droptable, db.login, db.select, db.tables,

GRASS SQL interface

💅 AUTHOR 💅

CERL

🧚 SOURCE CODE 🧚

Available at: db.execute source code (history)

Accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:40:34 2026

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