The Bat! Emails to SQL: Load Mail into a Database (2026)

Quick Answer

To get The Bat! emails to SQL, convert the mail files into a .sql script and run that script in your database. The script builds the tables and adds your messages.

The script can target six databases, from MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite to PostgreSQL, Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server. The Bat!'s own Export messages to writes only MSG, EML or mbox files.

Script targetsSQL Server, MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MariaDB

Native The Bat! exportMSG, EML, mbox (no SQL)

A mail archive in a database is easy to count, filter and report on. The Bat! keeps mail in its own .tbb files, which no database reads. This guide shows how to turn that mail into a script your database can run.

Why load The Bat! emails into a SQL database?

A database answers questions about years of mail with one query. With The Bat! mail in SQL, you can run reports across the whole archive.

Counts and reports: messages per sender, per month or per folder across a whole archive.
One place for records: keep old mail next to customer or order data that already lives in a database.
Shared access: let a team query the archive without giving everyone a copy of The Bat!.

Size matters here. One real Inbox we worked with held 41,452 messages, and its [Gmail] All Mail folder held 43,572. Lists that long are where a database beats scrolling.

Can The Bat! export emails to SQL on its own?

No. The Bat! has no SQL export. Its Tools > Export messages to command writes MSG, EML or UNIX mailbox (mbox) files, one folder at a time (Ritlabs forum).

You may spot a file named TBIndex.db in the root of your The Bat! profile. It is a SQLite file, but it is The Bat!'s full-text search index, not a mail export. You do not need it to convert your mail.

The mail itself sits in .tbb files, one per folder, with a .tbn index beside each. A converter reads those files and writes the SQL script for you.

Which export format should you choose for a database?

Pick SQL Script when you want a full load with the tables built for you. Pick CSV when a spreadsheet is enough or your database tool already has a CSV import you like.

A SQL script creates tables and message rows that your chosen database tool can load.

Export menu in Univik BAT Email Converter with Email Files, Document Files, Email Services, Email Clients and Scripts groups — **In the app:** SQL Script sits in the Scripts group of the Export menu. CSV is under Document Files.

Your goal	CSV export	SQL Script export	The Bat! Export messages to
Look at a mail list in Excel	Better choice. Opens with no database	Needs a database first	Not a table format
Fill a new database with tables built for you	Goes through your database's own CSV import tool	Better choice. The script creates the tables and adds the rows	Not possible
Keep message files for another mail app	No	No	Better choice. Free EML or mbox files
Cost	From $29	From $29	Free

If all you want is to find one message, you do not need a database at all. Our guide to searching The Bat! mail covers that. For a spreadsheet copy, see The Bat! emails to PDF and CSV.

Which databases can load the script, from MySQL to SQL Server?

Six database systems can load the exported script. You choose one before you export, and the script is written for that system.

Server databases: PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server each run as a server that you sign in to with a user name.
SQLite: needs no server at all. The database is a single file on your disk, which makes it the simple pick for a personal archive on one PC.

Pick the system your team already uses. If nobody has a database yet, start with SQLite.

Need the same mail in two systems? Export twice and pick a different server each time.

How do you export The Bat! emails to SQL with the converter?

Univik BAT Email Converter turns .tbb and .tbk files into a script your database can run. In its Export menu, the Scripts group holds SQL Script. Clicking it opens the SQL Export Options screen.

SQL Export Options screen in Univik BAT Email Converter with the Select server list open — **In the app:** the SQL Export Options screen with the Select server list open on its six choices.

Location and Browse: the folder where the .sql output goes.
Select server: the database you will load the script into.
Generate create table script: on by default. It adds the commands that build the tables. Keep it ticked for a first load.
Separate SQL file per email: one .sql file for each message. For an Inbox of 41,452 messages that means 41,452 files, so leave it off when you want one file to run.
Folder options: Skip greyed out folders, Create empty folders, Delete old folders and Omit folder structure.
Open folder after export is done and Show Error Logs help you check the result.

Your mail files are left as they were. The converter needs a 64-bit PC with Windows 10 or 11 and .NET Framework 4.8, and our checks used files from The Bat! 12.3.1. Plans start at $29, and a .tbk backup needs the $49 Pro or $99 Enterprise plan.

Load the mail

Install the converter on Windows 11 or 10, click Open and add your mail with Choose Files..., Choose Folders... or Open Bat Mail Configured Accounts.

Pick SQL Script

Open the Export menu, go to the Scripts group and click SQL Script.

Set the options

Choose a Location, pick your database in Select server and keep Generate create table script ticked.

Export the script

Tick Open folder after export is done, then start the job. The folder with your .sql output opens when it ends.

Load it into the database

Run the .sql file with your database tool, such as sqlcmd, mysql, sqlite3, psql, sqlplus or mariadb.

Turn your mail into a SQL script

Run a test export on your own mail first. The trial exports 10 items from every folder, so you can check the script in your database.

Free Download See all features

How do you run the .sql file in your database?

Run the .sql file with your database's own command-line tool. Open Command Prompt in the folder that holds the file, then use the line for your database below.

Database	Tool	Command
Microsoft SQL Server	sqlcmd	`sqlcmd -S myServer -d MailArchive -i mail.sql`
MySQL	mysql	`mysql -u myname -p MailArchive < mail.sql`
SQLite	sqlite3	`sqlite3 mail.db` then at the prompt `.read mail.sql`
PostgreSQL	psql	`psql -U myname -d mailarchive -f mail.sql`
Oracle Database	sqlplus	`sqlplus myname @mail.sql`
MariaDB	mariadb	`mariadb -u myname -p MailArchive < mail.sql`

Swap in your own server, user and database names. mail.sql stands for your exported file.
Create an empty database first. SQLite is the exception: sqlite3 makes a new database file when the name you give does not exist yet (SQLite docs).
With -p and no password after it, mysql asks for the password instead of showing it on screen (MySQL docs). SQL*Plus also asks for your password before it runs the script.
The sqlcmd -d option stops with an error if the database does not exist (Microsoft Learn).
psql with -f reports errors with line numbers, which helps if a large load stops partway (PostgreSQL docs).

Key Takeaways

SQL loading needs a converter step, since The Bat! itself exports only MSG, EML and mbox.
One export targets one system: SQL Server, Oracle Database, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or SQLite.
Generate create table script is on by default and builds the tables for a first load.
SQLite is the simplest target for one person, because the database is a single file.
CSV is the lighter choice when a spreadsheet is all you need.

Questions about loading The Bat! mail into SQL

No. TBIndex.db in the root of your The Bat! profile is a SQLite full-text search index that The Bat! uses for its own searches. It is not an export of your mail, and the converter does not need it.

Yes, as long as the full messages were downloaded. An IMAP folder on disk holds only the bodies you opened or fetched in The Bat!. Fetch them first; the converter warns you if they are missing.

Yes, with the Pro or Enterprise plan. Add the backup through Choose Files... and run the SQL export the same way. A password-protected backup stays readable only in The Bat!, so use an unprotected backup or the live profile.

Not for SQLite. SQLite keeps the whole database in one file and needs no server. The other five systems need a running database server and a login for it.

Plain text commands for a database. The tool you run reads them in order, builds the tables and adds the rows. You can open the file in Notepad to look before you load it.

Yes. Your .tbb, .tbn and .tbk files are opened for reading only, and the SQL output goes to the folder you choose. Your mail in The Bat! stays exactly as it was.

Leena Taylor Paul

Leena Taylor Paul wrote this guide with the Univik team, which has shipped Windows mail tools since 2013. This guide covers exporting The Bat! mail as a SQL script and loading it into six common databases. Last checked October 2026. Want help? Contact our support team.