http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Batch_Commands.html
4.8.10 How to Run SQL Commands from a Text File
The mysql client typically is used interactively, like this:
shell> mysql database However, it\'s also possible to put your SQL commands in a file and tell mysql to read its input from that file. To do so, create a text file `text_file\' that contains the commands you wish to execute. Then invoke mysql as shown here:
shell> mysql database < text_file You can also start your text file with a USE db_name statement. In this case, it is unnecessary to specify the database name on the command line:
shell> mysql < text_file If you are already running mysql, you can execute a SQL script file using the source command:
mysql> source filename;
