bcp_writefmt

Article
01/10/2024

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)

Creates a format file containing a description of the format of the current bulk copy data file.

Syntax

  
RETCODE bcp_writefmt (  
        HDBC hdbc,  
        LPCTSTR szFormatFile);

Arguments

hdbc
Is the bulk copy-enabled ODBC connection handle.

szFormatFile
Is the path and file name of the user file to receive format values for the data file.

Returns

SUCCEED or FAIL.

Remarks

The format file specifies the data format of a data file created by bulk copy. Calls to bcp_columns and bcp_colfmt define the format of the data file. bcp_writefmt saves this definition in the file referenced by szFormatFile. For more information, see bcp_init.

For more information about the structure of bcp data format files, see Import and Export Bulk Data by Using the bcp Utility (SQL Server).

To load a saved format file, use bcp_readfmt.

Note

The format file produced by bcp_writefmt is supported only by versions of the bcp utility distributed with SQL Server version 7.0 and later.

Example

// Variables like henv not specified.  
HDBC      hdbc;  
DBINT      nRowsProcessed;  
  
// Application initiation, get an ODBC environment handle, allocate the  
// hdbc, and so on.  
...   
  
// Enable bulk copy prior to connecting on allocated hdbc.  
SQLSetConnectAttr(hdbc, SQL_COPT_SS_BCP, (SQLPOINTER) SQL_BCP_ON,  
   SQL_IS_INTEGER);  
  
// Connect to the data source, return on error.  
if (!SQL_SUCCEEDED(SQLConnect(hdbc, _T("myDSN"), SQL_NTS,  
   _T("myUser"), SQL_NTS, _T("myPwd"), SQL_NTS)))  
   {  
   // Raise error and return.  
   return;  
   }  
  
// Initialize bulk copy.   
if (bcp_init(hdbc, _T("myTable"), _T("myData.csv"),  
   _T("myErrors"),    DB_OUT) == FAIL)  
   {  
   // Raise error and return.  
   return;  
   }  
  
if (bcp_columns(hdbc, 3) == FAIL)  
   {  
   // Raise error and return.  
   return;  
   }  
  
bcp_colfmt(hdbc, 1, SQLCHARACTER, 0, SQL_VARLEN_DATA, '\t', 1, 1);  
bcp_colfmt(hdbc, 2, SQLCHARACTER, 0, SQL_VARLEN_DATA, '\t', 1, 2);  
bcp_colfmt(hdbc, 3, SQLCHARACTER, 0, SQL_VARLEN_DATA, '\t', 1, 3);  
  
if (bcp_writefmt(hdbc, _T("myFmtFile.fmt")) == FAIL)  
   {  
   // Raise error and return.  
   return;  
   }  
  
if (bcp_exec(hdbc, &nRowsProcessed) == SUCCEED)  
   {  
   printf_s("%ld rows copied from SQL Server\n", nRowsProcessed);  
   }  
  
// Carry on.