Extract text from SQL files
To convert your SQL file to another format, you need MySQL or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Query Script" file type, you need software like MySQL or a similar tool.
A .SQL file is a text-based script written in Structured Query Language, used to define database structures (schemas) and populate tables. These files are universally generated as backups or "dumps" by relational database management systems (RDBMS) like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL Server.
While .SQL files are plain text, they are not designed for human readability. A typical file contains thousands of CREATE TABLE and INSERT INTO commands, making it impossible to view the actual data as a simple grid or spreadsheet without first installing and configuring a database server. Users frequently struggle with massive file sizes that crash standard text editors, proprietary syntax differences that prevent cross-platform imports (e.g., T-SQL vs. PL/pgSQL), and the inability to quickly extract specific records for reporting.
To access your data immediately without setting up a local server environment, convert .SQL to CSV or XLSX (Excel). This transforms abstract code into actionable rows and columns perfect for analysis in spreadsheet software. For sharing schema designs or archiving documentation, convert your scripts to PDF.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SQL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DDL, DB, SQLITE, BAK, PDF, TXT, DATABASE, MWB, DUMP, ZIP, ERD, CODE and SQLITE3 files.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our SQL converter.