SQL Server Data Portability

Article
08/10/2023

This documentation explains the various mechanisms by which user-created data in SQL Server can be extracted for use in other software products. These mechanisms include import/export functionality, documented APIs, industry-standard formats, and documented data structures and file formats.

Although the Open Specifications technical documents are freely available, many of them include patented inventions. Some of these patents are available at no charge under the Open Specifications Promise or the Microsoft Community Promise. The remaining patents are available through various licensing programs. For more information, please visit the Microsoft Open Specifications Dev Center website or send an email message to the IP Licensing Team.

Explore SQL Server Data Portability Documentation

	SQL Server Data Portability Technical Documents Provides detailed technical documents about the import/export functionality by which user-created data in SQL Server can be extracted for use in other software products.
	SQL Server File Formats Technical Documents Provides detailed technical specifications for SQL Server file formats that are used to create documents.
	What's New and Changed in SQL Server Data Portability Documents Provides information about and links to new and updated protocol documents that contain details about the most recently released versions of SQL Server.
	SQL Server Data Portability Preview Documents Provides preliminary versions of new or updated Open Specifications technical documents for community review and feedback.

Q&A and Blogs

	SQL Server Open Specifications, Standards Support and Data Portability - Microsoft Q&A Home to technical questions and answers about SQL Server Open Specifications, Standards Support and Data Portability documents.
	Open Specifications Blogs These blogs, authored by the engineers who support the Open Specifications documents, provide a different venue for further discussion of those documents.
	SQL Server Interoperability Developer Blog This blog is updated with the latest information on releases of the Open Specifications documents.

SQL Server Open Specifications, Standards Support and Data Portability - Microsoft Q&A

Home to technical questions and answers about SQL Server Open Specifications, Standards Support and Data Portability documents.

Open Specifications Blogs

These blogs, authored by the engineers who support the Open Specifications documents, provide a different venue for further discussion of those documents.