import an SQL file

php artisan command to directly import an SQL file, you can achieve this by either: 

• Creating a custom Artisan command that executes the SQL file.
• Using the standard MySQL command-line interface (CLI) tool directly. 

1. Create a new Artisan command:
   bash

2. php artisan make:command ImportSqlFile
   

   This creates app/Console/Commands/ImportSqlFile.php.
3. Edit the handle method in the new file:
   Place your SQL file in a directory (e.g., database/sql/dump.sql) and use the DB facade to run the raw SQL content.
   php

4. <?php
   
   namespace App\Console\Commands;
   
   use Illuminate\Console\Command;
   use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
   
   class ImportSqlFile extends Command
   {
       /**
        * The name and signature of the console command.
        *
        * @var string
        */
       protected $signature = 'db:import-sql'; // Define your command name
   
       /**
        * The console command description.
        *
        * @var string
        */
       protected $description = 'Import a specific SQL file into the database';
   
       /**
        * Execute the console command.
        *
        * @return int
        */
       public function handle()
       {
           $path = database_path('sql/dump.sql'); // Adjust the path as necessary
   
           if (!file_exists($path)) {
               $this->error('SQL file not found at: ' . $path);
               return Command::FAILURE;
           }
   
           $this->info('Starting SQL file import...');
   
           // Execute the raw SQL content
           DB::unprepared(file_get_contents($path));
   
           $this->info('Database import successful.');
           return Command::SUCCESS;
       }
   }
   

5. Run the command:
   bash

php artisan db:import-sql

Note: For very large SQL files, directly using DB::unprepared() might hit PHP memory or execution time limits. In such cases, the MySQL CLI method (Method 2) is more robust. 

mysql -u [username] -p [database_name] < /path/to/yourfile.sql

• [username] with your MySQL username (e.g., root).
• [database_name] with the name of your database as defined in your Laravel .env file.
• /path/to/yourfile.sql with the actual path to your SQL dump file.