What is BCP in SQL?
The BCP (Bulk Copy Program) utility is a command line that program that bulk-copies data between a SQL instance and a data file using a special format file. The BCP utility can be used to import large numbers of rows into SQL Server or export SQL Server data into files.
How do I use BCP in SQL?
Get started
- Get the bcp arguments. In the command line, write bcp.
- Get the version. You can get the version of the bcp using the -v argument:
- Export data from a SQL Server table to a file.
- Export data from a SQL Server query to a file.
- Run bcp using PowerShell.
- Run bcp on SSIS.
- Invoke a batch file in SSIS.
What is format file in SQL Server?
When you bulk import data into a SQL Server table or bulk export data from a table, you can use a format file to store all the format information that is required to bulk export or bulk import data. This includes format information for each field in a data file relative to that table.
Is BCP a GUI utility?
BCP – It is a utility software comes with Microsoft SQL Server. It is the simplest and fastest way to transfer data between SQL Instance or different DBMS with data files. By default, BCP output file does not contain the file formatting or data type information.
Is BCP part of SQL Server?
The bulk copy program utility (bcp) bulk copies data between an instance of Microsoft SQL Server and a data file in a user-specified format. The bcp utility can be used to import large numbers of new rows into SQL Server tables or to export data out of tables into data files.
Does BCP lock table?
AFAIK, BCP out command doesn’t lock the source table and should not affect anything, but seeing the wait types I can infer that BCP Out first loaded the entire 1.16 Billion records from the disk to memory and then output(read outputted) it to flat-file.
How do I view a BCP file?
Solution: Use File Magic to Open Your BCP File in the program or device for which it was developed), you might be able to open it with a universal software viewer. Depending on the exact file format, you could use a universal software viewer such as File Magic [download] to open your BCP file.
Why is BCP so fast?
bcp uses the same facility as BULK INSERT and the SqlBulkCopy classes. The bottom line is this, these bulk operations log less data than normal operations and have the ability to instruct SQL Server to ignore its traditional checks and balances on the data coming in. All those things together serve to make it faster.