Connecting with bcp

In the current release, the following bcp syntax and options are available:

[database.]schema.table in data_file | out data_file

-a packet_size

Specifies the number of bytes, per network packet, sent to and from the server.

-b batch_size

Specifies the number of rows per batch of imported data.

-c

Uses a character data type.

-d database_name

Specifies the database to connect to.

-D

Causes the value passed to the sqlcmd -S option to be interpreted as a data source name (DSN). For more information, see "DSN Support in sqlcmd and bcp" in Connecting with sqlcmd.

-e eror_file

Specifies the full path of an error file used to store any rows that the bcp utility cannot transfer from the file to the database.

-E

Uses an identity value or values in the imported data file for the identity column.

-f format_file

Specifies the full path of a format file.

-F first_row

Specifies the number of the first row to export from a table or import from a data file.

-k

Specifies that empty columns should retain a null value during the operation, rather than have any default values for the columns inserted.

-l

Specifies a login timeout. The –l option specifies the number of seconds before a bcp login to SQL Server times out when you try to connect to a server. The default bcp time-out for login to SQL Server is 15 seconds. The login time-out must be a number between 0 and 65534. If the value supplied is not numeric or does not fall into that range, bcp generates an error message. A value of 0 specifies time-out to be infinite.

-L last_row

Specifies the number of the last row to export from a table or import from a data file.

-m max_errors

Specifies the maximum number of syntax errors that can occur before the bcp operation is canceled.

-n

Uses the native (database) data types of the data to perform the bulk-copy operation.

-P password

Specifies the password for the login ID.

-q

Executes the SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIERS ON statement in the connection between the bcp utility and an instance of SQL Server.

-r row_terminator

Specifies the row terminator.

-R

Specifies that currency, date, and time data is bulk copied into SQL Server using the regional format defined for the locale setting of the client computer.

-S server

Specifies the name of the SQL Server instance to connect to. Or, if -D is used, a DSN.

-t field_terminator

Specifies the field terminator.

-T

Specifies that the bcp utility connect to SQL Server with a trusted connection (integrated security).

-U login_id

Specifies the login ID used to connect to SQL Server.

-v

Reports the bcp utility version number and copyright.

-w

Uses Unicode characters to perform the bulk copy operation.

In this release, Latin-1 and UTF-16 characters are supported.

In the current release, the following bcp syntax and options are not available:

-C

Specifies the code page of the data in the data file.

-h hint

Specifies the hint or hints used during a bulk import of data into a table or view.

-i input_file

Specifies the name of a response file.

-N

Uses the native (database) data types of the data for noncharacter data, and Unicode characters for character data.

-o output_file

Specifies the name of a file that receives output redirected from the command prompt.

-V (80 | 90 | 100)

Uses data types from an earlier version of SQL Server.

-x

Used with the format and -f format_file options, generates an XML-based format file instead of the default non-XML format file.

Concepts