Table of Contents

Execute command

Executes a SQL command against a SQL Server database and returns the number of rows affected. Use this for INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE, stored procedure calls, or any other statement that does not return a result set.

Note

This action returns the row count, not query results. To retrieve data, use Get DataReader or Get Single Value.

When to use this

  • To run UPDATE or DELETE statements that cannot be expressed with the dedicated Merge Tables or Delete Table actions.
  • To call stored procedures that perform data modifications.
  • To run DDL statements (ALTER TABLE, CREATE INDEX, etc.) not covered by other SQL Server actions.
  • To execute a custom MERGE statement when the Merge Tables configuration editor is too limited.

How it works

  • Input: A SQL command (with optional parameters) and a SQL Server connection.
  • Processing: Executes the command against the connected database. Supports parameterized queries and Flow variable interpolation in the command text (see How to use parameters and How to use Flow variables below).
  • Output: Returns the number of rows affected as an Int32. If Result variable name is set, the count is also stored in the specified Flow variable for use by downstream actions.

Flow with two Execute Command nodes: Archive completed orders followed by Delete archived orders

Example Example
This flow archives and then removes completed orders. Archive completed orders copies rows matching Status = 'Completed' from Orders to Orders_Archive using an INSERT INTO ... SELECT statement. Delete archived orders then removes the same rows from Orders with a DELETE statement. Use Execute Command when you need SQL statements that go beyond what the dedicated actions (Merge Tables, Delete Table) support.


Properties

Name Required Description
Title No A descriptive title for the action.
Connection Yes The SQL Server Connection to the target database.
Enable dynamic connection No When enabled, uses a connection created at runtime by Create Connection. Use this when the target database varies between runs.
SQL expression and parameters Yes The SQL command to execute, with optional parameters. Supports parameterized queries and Flow variable interpolation. See How to use parameters and How to use Flow variables below.
Result variable name No The name of a Flow variable that receives the number of rows affected. Use this to pass the count to downstream actions or conditions.
Command timeout (seconds) No Maximum execution time in seconds. The action fails with a timeout error if exceeded. Default is 120 seconds.
Disabled No When checked, the action is skipped during Flow execution.
Description No Additional notes or comments about the action or configuration.

Returns

Int32. The number of rows affected by the command. For statements that do not affect rows (e.g. DDL), returns 0 or -1 depending on the statement type.


How to use parameters

Click the edit icon next to SQL expression and parameters to open the SQL expression editor. The editor has four tabs:

Tab Description
Expression The SQL command to execute. Write or paste your query here.
Parameters Declare SQL parameters (@Name, @UserId) and assign values or map them to Flow variables.
Dynamic parameters Map parameters dynamically from upstream action outputs.
Test Parameters Provide test values to run the query in the editor with Execute query without affecting production data.

The Object Explorer on the right lists available database objects (Tables, Views, Synonyms, Stored Procedures, Functions) on the current connection.

SQL expression editor showing the Expression tab with an UPDATE query using @Name and @UserId parameters, and the Object Explorer panel

Declare parameters in the Parameters tab and reference them in the query with the @ prefix.

Parameters tab showing @Name (string, John) and @UserId (int, 137) parameters with the Add parameter option at the top

Each parameter has three fields:

Field Description
Name The parameter name, including the @ prefix (e.g. @Name, @UserId). Must match the parameter used in the SQL expression.
Data type The parameter's data type (e.g. string, int, decimal).
Value The parameter value. Enter a static value or click the field to pick from available Flow Variables or Workspace Variables. 
UPDATE Users SET [Name] = @Name WHERE UserId = @UserId

How to use Flow variables in the command expression

To use Flow variables in the SQL command, first declare a variable as Global and assign a value in a preceding action. Then enclose the variable name in curly brackets in the command text.

-- TableName is a Flow variable declared and assigned in a previous action.
UPDATE {TableName} SET [Name] = @Name WHERE UserId = @UserId
Important

Flow variables in curly brackets are interpolated into the command text before execution. Use SQL parameters (@Name) for user-supplied values to prevent SQL injection. Use Flow variables ({TableName}) only for identifiers like table or column names that cannot be parameterized.


Code examples

INSERT with SELECT

INSERT INTO Orders_Archive (OrderId, CustomerId, Amount, OrderDate)
SELECT OrderId, CustomerId, Amount, OrderDate
FROM Orders
WHERE Status = 'Completed'

Conditional DELETE

DELETE FROM Invoices WHERE DueDate < DATEADD(YEAR, -7, GETDATE())

Calling a stored procedure

EXEC dbo.RecalculateBalances @AccountId = @AccountId, @Period = @Period

DDL statement

CREATE INDEX IX_Orders_CustomerId ON Orders (CustomerId)

Using Result variable name

Set Result variable name to rowsAffected. Downstream actions can reference this variable — for example, a conditional branch that checks whether any rows were modified:

rowsAffected > 0

See also


SQL Server: Videos / Getting started

This section contains videos to help you get started quickly working with Azure SQL / SQL Server using Flow.


Dump CSV file from Azure Blob container to Azure SQL table

This video demonstrates how to import all records from a CSV file into an Azure SQL table.
In the demo, no data import options (such as data type conversion, number or date formatting) are specified, meaning the data is imported as raw text.

Edit this page