NAME

     freebcp — bulk loading utility for Sybase and Microsoft databases

SYNOPSIS

     freebcp [[⟨database⟩.]⟨owner⟩.]⟨object_name⟩ {in | [query]out} datafile {-c | -n | -f
             formatfile} [-S servername] [-D dbname] [-U username] [-P password] [-b batchsize]
             [-F firstrow] [-L lastrow] [-e errfile] [-I interfaces] [-m maxerror]
             [-t field_term] [-r row_term] [-h hints] [-T textsize] [-A packet_size] [-O options]
             [-i inputfile] [-o outputfile] [-C charset] [-EdVv]

DESCRIPTION

     freebcp is a utility program distributed with FreeTDS.  freebcp replicates (in part at
     least) the functionality of the bcp utility programs distributed by Sybase and Microsoft.
     freebcp makes use of the DB-Library bcp API provided by FreeTDS. This API is also available
     to application developers.

     The manual pages or online help for Sybase or SQL Server can be referenced for more detailed
     information on bcp functionality.

TABLES AND FILES

     database
             The name of the database containing object to be copied.  Optional if the table/view
             is in the default database for username.

     schema  The schema of the object being copied. If not provided, the default schema for
             username is used.

     object  The name of the database object you wish to access, typically a table. It can also
             be a view.  All views can be read; some can be written, subject to constraints.
             With queryout, object can also be an SQL query.

     in      Copy data from a host file to a database table.

     out     Copy data from a database table to a host file.

     queryout
             indicates that table_name is in fact SQL, rather than a database object.  freebcp
             will execute the query and write the results to a file. (It is a good idea to have
             the query return one and only one result set.)

     datafile
             The name of an operating system file.

OPTIONS

     -A packet_size
             Set the size of a TDS packet to packet_size.  Not sure why you would want to do
             this, except as an experiment.

     -D dbname
             The name of the default database to use.  Overrides default database associated with
             the login account.  Causes freebcp to issue a USE dbname command immediately after
             logging in, before commencing BCP operations.

     -E      Write the data in datafile to the table's IDENTITY column. Without this flag, the
             identity data present in the datafile will be ignored, and new IDENTITY values will
             be generated for the imported rows.

     -F firstrow
             The first row to copy from the input file or database table. The default is the
             first row, row 1.

     -I interfaces
             The name and location of the interfaces file to search when connecting to
             servername. Overrides freetds.conf.

     -L lastrow
             The last row to copy from an input file  or database table. The default is the last
             row.

     -O options
             SQL text to set connection options prior to the bcp operation.  If options is a
             valid filename, the SQL is read from the file instead. Sometimes needed for
             queryout.  Example: -O `SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON'.

     -P password
             The password associated with username.

     -S servername
             The name of the Database Server to which to connect.

     -T textsize
             For text or image columns, set the maximum number of characters to request from the
             server. Defaults to the setting in freetds.conf.  If not specified anywhere,
             defaults to the full size of the data.

     -U username
             A database login name.  For TDS 7+ connections, a domain login is attempted if
             username is not provided.

     -b batchsize
             The number of rows per batch of data copied. Batching applies only when you are bulk
             copying into the database. Each batch of data is effectively “committed” into the
             database. The default value for batchsize is 1000.

     -c      The host data file is (or will be) in "character" format, i.e., a text file.
             Encoding is determined by the client charset attribute in freetds.conf.

     -d      Turn off any logging. (Unintuitive, perhaps.)

     -e errfile
             Write errors to errfile.  For uploads.  Includes line and column information, and
             the row data.

     -f formatfile
             The format of the host data file is described by formatfile.  The layout of
             formatfile is identical to that understood by the Sybase and Microsoft bcp
             utilities, but is too complicated to describe here.

     -h hints
             Set bcp hints. For valid values, cf.  bcp_options() in the FreeTDS Reference Manual.

     -m maxerror
             Stop after encountering maxerror errors. Default 10.

     -n      The host data file is in “native” format.  This is a format that freebcp will be
             able to process, but is not portable or readable.

     -r row_term
             The row terminator for a character file.  May be more than one character.  Default
             is newline ('\n'). Cf.  -c, above.

     -t field_term
             The field terminator for character file. Also known as a column delimiter. May be
             more than one character.  Default is tab ('\t'). Cf.  -c, above.

     -v

     -V      Print the version information and exit.

     -i inputfile
             Read input data from file specified.

     -o outputfile
             Write output data to file specified.

     -C charset
             Specify character set to use to talk to server.

ENVIRONMENT

     DSQUERY default servername

NOTES

     When connecting to a Sybase database server, it is required that the TDS 5.0 protocol be
     used. When connecting to a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database server, the TDS 7 (or later)
     protocol is required.

     Sybase and Microsoft define different versions of the bcp portion of TDS 4.2.  Because
     FreeTDS has no way of knowing which type of server it's connected to, freebcp does not
     support version 4.2 of the TDS protocol.

HISTORY

     freebcp first appeared in FreeTDS 0.60

AUTHORS

     The freebcp utility was written by Bill Thompson <thompbil@exchange.uk.ml.com>

BUGS

     Currently, there is no support for text data types in freebcp, when SQL Server 2000 is the
     target server.