How can I type a \ in the sqlcmd editor?

Question

According to this kb article on what to do if your user database is gone, it recommends the following three actions

sqlcmd –E -S InstanceName –d master
1> ALTER LOGIN SQLLogin WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = AvailDBName
2> GO

The problem here is the SQLLogin in this case is DOMAIN\user, but when I type that sqlcmd says Incorrect syntax near '\'

I've tried DOMAIN\\user and 'DOMAIN\user' but neither work.

I typed that in the SF editor, but it collapsed it and I didn't notice, so yes, I tried that as well.

squillman · Answer 1 · 2009-08-20 15:50:39Z

SQL is the command interpreter here, not the shell, so escaping with another \ will not work. You have to surround the login with brackets.

ALTER LOGIN [DOMAIN\Username] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = AvailDBName

StampedeXV · Answer 2 · 2009-08-20 15:42:44Z

up vote 1 down vote

you tried escaping it with another \ ? would be

 DOMAIN\\user

answered Aug 20 '09 at 15:42

	I typed that in the SF editor, but it collapsed it and I didn't notice (fixed now), so yes, I tried that as well. – Michael Pryor Aug 20 '09 at 15:51
	No. SQL is interpreting the command, not the shell. – squillman Aug 20 '09 at 15:51
	Sorry, should have tested it first. – StampedeXV Aug 20 '09 at 17:12

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