How to dump a table to a text file in SQL server? in sql Server 2005

Question

How to export a table to a text file?

I need to get the INSERT script (structure and data) for an already existing table.

Answer 1

try this:

http://vyaskn.tripod.com/code.htm#inserts

Answer 2

You can run a insert script generator like this one:
http://sqltips.wordpress.com/category/insert-script-generator/

or a desktop tool like this:
http://www.shitalshah.com/sqlutils/

Answer 3

In SQL2k, try to read about bulk copy, the command should be bcp i think

examples from MS help file has something like ...

Exporting data from table to text file

bcp "SELECT au_fname, au_lname FROM pubs..authors ORDER BY au_lname" queryout Authors.txt -c -Sservername -Usa -Ppassword

Importing data from text file to table:

The command to bulk copy data from Newpubs.dat into publishers2 is:

bcp pubs..publishers2 in newpubs.dat -c -t , -r \n -Sservername -Usa -Ppassword

Alternatively, you can use the BULK INSERT statement from a query tool, such as SQL Query Analyzer, to bulk copy data:

BULK INSERT pubs..publishers2 FROM 'c:\newpubs.dat'
WITH (
   DATAFILETYPE = 'char',
   FIELDTERMINATOR = ',',
   ROWTERMINATOR = '\n'
)

Gath

Answer 4

You can build the INSERT statement programatically by fetching the column info from the information_schema where each row of data describes a column:

SELECT table_name, ordinal_position, column_name, data_type, is_nullable, character_maximum_length FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name LIKE '%TableName%' ORDER BY ordinal_position

For exporting data BCP is the tool and the BOL has several decent examples: bcp AdventureWorks.Sales.Currency out Currency.dat -T -c

Answer 5

In SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, you can use the Import/Export Wizard (not sure if you specifically needed a script, or simply a way to export the structure/data to a file, but this suggestion will do it without an actual script):

• right-click on the database containing the table
• select Tasks->Export Data
• Choose a Data Source screen: (after the welcome screen) leave defaulted values, click Next
• Choose a Destination: "Flat File Destination" for the Destination field. Then fill in the file name/path and the other options as you wish, click Next
• Select Copy data..., click Next
• Select the table to export, click Next

• On the Save and Execute Package screen, you can just leave Execute Immediately selected, or if you'd like to save the resulting "script" as a SSIS package you can select that option also. Click Next, then Finish, to execute the export

• Your resulting file will have the contents of the table. If you then need to "insert" this data into a different db you can use the "Import Data" option of the Wizard to import the data from the text file into the other database/table.