mssql-cli broken on latest Windows update--'The system cannot find the file specified.'

[G0erman]

I just connected to a server successful with some specific port:

mssql-cli -S server_name,port -U user -P password

But when I try to launch some query, I get the next message:

XXX> select 4+4;
Time: 0.451s
The system cannot find the file specified.

mssql-cli version: 0.18.1

[altafub]

I have the same issue on new servers.

master> select name from sys.databases Time: 0.555s The system cannot find the file specified.

I am using pip install command to install the utility. Tried to install 0.18.0 on the same machine. It uninstalled 0.18.1 first and installed the supplied version. But that doesn't seem to help.

[jvillegas74]

I have the same issue. whatever I do I get "The system cannot find the file specified."

[ellbosch]

@G0erman, @altafub, and @jvillegas74: what machine is everyone on? How was mssql-cli installed?

[jvillegas74]

This is Windows 10 (x64). Running on a Surface Pro 4. Aso the same on a Dell XPS 15.

I have installed Phyton and then $pip install mssql-cli

[ellbosch]

This is Windows 10 (x64). Running on a Surface Pro 4. Aso the same on a Dell XPS 15

Thanks. What version of Python are you using? And do you experience the same issue on 0.18.0?

You may install a prior version by calling python -m pip install mssql-cli==0.18.0.

[jvillegas74]

just tried with 0.18.0 and the same as the latest 0.18.1

Using Phyton 3.8.2

[ellbosch]

Can you call mssql-cli --version and let me know what you get? Thanks @jvillegas74, I want to rule out that your machine isn't still installing an older version, which has happened before.

[jvillegas74]

I have tried with 0.18.1 (latest) and 0.18.0 as well as 0.17.0 . All of them same output

Anyway here is the output

Installing collected packages: mssql-cli Attempting uninstall: mssql-cli Found existing installation: mssql-cli 0.17.0 Uninstalling mssql-cli-0.17.0: Successfully uninstalled mssql-cli-0.17.0 Successfully installed mssql-cli-0.18.0

C:\WINDOWS\system32>mssql-cli --version Version: 0.18.0

[jvillegas74]

@ellbosch Any workaround you might recommend ?

[ellbosch]

Unfortunately I'm still unable to repro this issue. However—it would help a lot if you could post your log file here (and a clean set of logs too would be great!).

The logfile is located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\dbcli\mssqlcli\mssqlcli.

[jvillegas74]

mssqlcli.log

Here is a clean log

[ellbosch]

Thanks @jvillegas74. Some more questions:

• Did mssql-cli used to work for you or has it always been like this?
• Are you using a standard command line or the Linux Subsystem?
• Is there any other error message in the stack trace that could help for debugging?

[jvillegas74]

@ellbosch I have installed for first time. I am using standard command line CMD (as regular user and as Administrator)

[ellbosch]

Thanks. Can you please return the output for which mssql-cli? Perhaps there's a path issue...

[jvillegas74]

Probably not a Pyton expert

[ellbosch]

Probably not a Pyton expert

Sorry I meant where mssql-cli. My apologies!!

[jvillegas74]

here

[ellbosch]

Thanks @jvillegas74. This doesn't look like a path issue.

Are you able to query this database with another tool? I want to ensure this error message is exclusive to mssql-cli and not an issue with your SQL Server instance.

If you don't have another tool installed, I'd recommend Azure Data Studio.

[jvillegas74]

yes. I can connect to my localhost running SQL 2019 using SQLCMD, ADS and SSMS with no problem

[ellbosch]

Hmmm... are you possibly using Windows Auth instead of SQL @jvillegas74?

[jvillegas74]

same thing using SQL Auth

[jvillegas74]

No problems with SQLCMD

[ellbosch]

I wish I could repro this :( I'm so sorry this is happening, thanks for all of your help @jvillegas74.

Let me know if you're unblocked by using a really old version, say 0.15.0. If that still doesn't work then there's a good chance we've had this bug since the beginning. I'll keep digging in the meantime.

[jvillegas74]

Is not the day today ! . this is after installing 0.15.0

[ellbosch]

This info still helps in any case! Good to know this bug exists, thanks @jvillegas74.

[altafub]

We use Windows 2016 ami provided by AWS. And 0.18.1 doesn't work with ami released after 11th Feb. So this has to be a windows update thing. @ellbosch

[ellbosch]

We use Windows 2016 ami provided by AWS. And 0.18.1 doesn't work with ami released after 11th Feb. So this has to be a windows update thing. @ellbosch

Interesting... @altafub are you also using a localhost db like @jvillegas74?

[ellbosch]

Confirmed this is caused by latest Windows update—I'm now able to repro this.

[jvillegas74]

I can add that I just installed on a new Win 2016 Server (Azure VM) and got the same error connecting to localhost and remote server

[jvillegas74]

@ellbosch Please share here or by email when the fix is available. looking forward to talk and demo about mssql-cli in my next presentation

[ellbosch]

@ellbosch Please share here or by email when the fix is available. looking forward to talk and demo about mssql-cli in my next presentation

Will do @jvillegas74, fixing this bug is our top priority.

[ellbosch]

Looks like one of our dependencies is the culprit. I'll update the thread when new official bits are out.

[ellbosch]

The fix is out! @jvillegas74 @altafub thanks so much for your help :)

[altafub]

@ellbosch thanks a ton for the prompt response and fixing this. I can confirm this is working now.

[jvillegas74]

Thanks @ellbosch for the quick response !! is working great now

[jvillegas74]

thanks @ellbosch for the quick response. it works great !! which will be the right way to update ?

Alse the installation guide link from the doc is broken https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/mssql-cli?view=sql-server-ver15

[ellbosch]

@jvillegas74 you may view installation docs here: https://github.com/dbcli/mssql-cli/tree/master/doc/installation

Thanks for letting us know about the docs!

[ellbosch]

The Microsoft Docs page is now fixed.