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Install and update SQL

This page explains where the KDB-X installer puts the SQL interface, and how to install or update it yourself from the KX downloads portal.

The SQL interface is a single file, s.k_. .s.init[] and the s) prompt load it from the q/ folder of your KDB-X installation directory.

Installed by default

The KDB-X installer downloads the latest SQL release and places s.k_ in q/ in your installation directory, which defaults to $HOME/.kx. You do not need to install it separately after a standard installation.

Linux ARM

The installer skips the SQL download on Linux ARM (aarch64), because the archive also contains pgwire, which is not built for that platform. The SQL interface itself works on Linux ARM. Follow the manual steps below with the Linux x86-64 archive, and copy only s.k_.

Install or update manually

Install manually when you want a newer SQL release than the one your installer shipped, or on Linux ARM.

Before you begin

  • Know your KDB-X installation directory. The default is $HOME/.kx. The commands below use that path. If you installed KDB-X elsewhere, replace it with your installation directory. The q/ folder is next to the bin/ folder that holds the q executable, which which q shows you.

1. Download the archive

Download the archive for your platform from the SQL directory in the KX downloads portal. The ~latest~ path always points at the newest release. Each archive contains s.k_, the pgwire executable, a readme and a changelog. The s.k_ file is the same in every archive.

Archive Platform
l64-sql.zip Linux x86-64, and Linux ARM for s.k_ only
m64-sql.zip macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
w64-sql.zip Windows 
curl -L -O https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/sql/~latest~/l64-sql.zip

curl -L -O https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/sql/~latest~/m64-sql.zip

Download w64-sql.zip in your browser.

To install a specific version instead, replace ~latest~ with the version number, for example 1.2.3.

2. Extract and copy the file

Extract the archive, then copy s.k_ into q/ in your installation directory. Copying over the existing file updates it.

unzip -q l64-sql.zip -d sql
cp sql/s.k_ "$HOME/.kx/q/"

unzip -q m64-sql.zip -d sql
cp sql/s.k_ "$HOME/.kx/q/"

Extract the archive, then copy s.k_ into q/ in your KDB-X installation

The same archive contains the pgwire executable. To update it at the same time, follow Install and update pgwire.

3. Verify the installation

Start q and initialize the SQL interface. .s.rel returns the release date of the loaded s.k_, which you can compare with the SQL release notes.

q).s.init[]
q).s.rel
2026.10.20

If .s.init[] fails with an error, s.k_ is not in q/ in the installation directory that q is using.

Next steps