How can I check the SQL syntax in a .sql file?

Question

How can I check the SQL syntax in a .sql file?

Answer 1

There are a couple of possiblities. If you are using InnoDB tables that support transactions, you can simply execute a start transaction; at the beginning of your .sql file and a rollback; at the end. MySQL will output any syntax errors.

If you are testiing UPDATE or DELETE statements, you could add LIMIT 0 to the end to prevent these queries from making any database changes, and still have MySQL check the syntax.